The Mistaken Wolf
by hazelmom
Summary: McGee struggles to survive a mistake. McGibbs slash. New 'verse.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I've been thinking about this story for a while. It came out of a scene I imagined, but I had to write a story around it. This is a new McGibbs 'verse, different than the one I wrote with A Domesticated Guy, Learning Curve, The Unbearable Lightness of Being McGee, and Coming Home. I hope this one keeps you interested. As usual, I would love to know if it does. Sheila

The Mistaken Wolf

Chapter 1

"Hey McGee, grab me another beer!"

McGee nodded and grabbed two from the refrigerator. "Want more pizza, Mitch?"

"I'm good. How did you like those two home runs I hit? Couldn't believe it myself."

McGee smiled. "Pretty cool. Very impressive."

Mitch pointed at McGee. "Your double wasn't half bad either."

"Well, it wasn't enough to keep you guys from creaming the NCIS team." McGee sat next to him on the couch and handed him the beer. He looked at the screen and saw that Lobanoff was watching ESPN with the mute on. Mitch Lobanoff was an FBI agent, captain of the bureau softball team, and all around jock.

"Still, it was a good pull. You're still hesitating at the top of your swing. Stay confident all the way through and those doubles will turn into home runs."

McGee nodded and then watched the screen again. ESPN seemed to be showing the same segments over and over. He wondered how anybody could stand watching this for more than an hour at a time. He also wondered why Lobanoff wanted to hang out with him all the time. This was the 3rd time in as many weeks that Lobanoff had invited himself over for pizza and beer after the game. He kept waiting for Lobanoff to bring up a cyber problem that he needed help with outside of work. It had to be some kind of problem for him to buy three pizzas and lose out on as many after game happy hours.

"You know, I bet we could still catch Tony, Ziva, and the guys over at Rosetti's."

"You don't want to hang out?" Lobanoff asked, looking hurt.

McGee was unaccustomed to big, handsome jocks who didn't act superior around him.

Mitch learned closer. "Actually, McGee, I wanted to talk to you about something. You seem…like a sensitive guy…a good listener."

McGee cocked his head. This was getting stranger and stranger.

"I've had a lot of girlfriends, you know. Great women. Dated Miss Virginia 2007 for three years. Got so many names in my cell, I could make a different booty call every night for the next three weeks if I wanted."

"Wow!" McGee said. He couldn't help himself. Lobanoff was like DiNozzo squared.

Mitch shook his head. "But there's something missing. I'm unfulfilled. I don't want to settle down. I am missing that special feeling."

"Ah, well Mitch, you're still young. Maybe, it's not the right time for you. I'm not dating. A lot of guys take their time."

"You would say that. You're like five years younger than I am. Can I tell you something very private? Can I trust you?"

"Of course you can, Mitch. I know what it's like when no one understands you. I'm there for you."

Mitch closed his eyes. "Do you have any gay friends?"

McGee's eyebrows went up. "Of course, I do. There's nothing wrong with being gay."

"It's just that I have these feelings for other…guys and I don't know…"

McGee put his hand on Mitch's knee. "It's okay, Mitch. It doesn't change anything."

Before McGee could pull his hand away, Lobanoff gripped it tightly. "Have you ever had those kinds of feelings, Tim?"

"Ah, maybe. I think most people are…I mean, it's natural to be curious."

Mitch's dark eyes stared into McGee's. "You haven't ever wondered what another man is like. What he tastes like. How it feels when your skin brushes up against his. What it's like to hold someone who's as strong as you are."

McGee swallowed hard. "I don't know what to say, Mitch."

Mitch leaned over and whispered. "When you're curious, there is nothing wrong with exploring. It's natural just like you said."

Tim's heart threatened to burst out of his chest, but this was not the only organ that was swelling. He had never allowed himself to stray to the other side of the fence, and it felt both exciting and forbidden. He breathed in the clean smell of a freshly showered Lobanoff and sighed. Mitch began kissing McGee's jawline gently. McGee was left with only two choices: he could stop this now or succumb to the possibilities.

….

"You missed Ziva taking shots. It was hilarious! You think she's butchers the English language when she's sober, you should have heard her drunk."

McGee nodded. "Maybe next time."

DiNozzo looked at him for a moment. "What is with you and Lobanoff anyway? It's weird how he's always leading you off somewhere. What is with that?"

"Nothing! Mitch is a good guy. Very nice. He happens to be my friend."

"Nice? Lobanoff? The last word I would use to describe him is nice. Tell him Ziva."

She looked up. "Well, he has crudely suggested that we do the 'nasty' on several occasions. The last time he did it, I leaned over and described in great detail how I once stabbed someone in the eye with a pencil. That shut him up."

McGee colored. "It's a front. That's not who he really is. He needs people in his life who listen and try to understand him."

Tony made a face. "And that would be you?"

McGee felt the heat rise in his face. "Okay, conversation over. I have work to do."

….

He sat on a bench and watched the water in the Potomac. He loved to watch water. Loved to watch the ocean, rivers, lakes, ponds, but put him in the middle of any of these bodies of water and it was only seconds before seasickness took over. He took another sip of his coffee and sighed. His feelings about what had happened with Mitch were so complicated. He wasn't sure what he felt. There had been no sex. It had been nothing more than long minutes of kissing and caresses. Lobanoff had jumped up after about twenty minutes and hastily made excuses. Then he disappeared.

McGee didn't know if he wished Mitch had stayed or whether he was glad when he left. The sensations he felt when in contact with Lobanoff were even more confusing. It was one of the most sexually charged encounters he had ever had, but it made no sense. If he had always harbored these attractions, how was it possible that they'd been repressed for so long?

"McGee!"

He turned and saw Ziva gesturing to him in the distance. He looked at his phone and saw three missed calls. He cursed, brushed the crumbs from his sandwich off his lap, and trotted after her.

….

"Mitch, we need to talk about…what happened last time," McGee said as Lobanoff walked past him into his apartment with yet another pizza and six-pack of beer.

Lobanoff put those things down, and slipped his arm around McGee's waist backing him into the wall. "I know. It was so hot when I was here last. I can hardly concentrate at work."

McGee started to resist, but Lobanoff's mouth was on his, his tongue prying into McGee's mouth. Tim groaned at the hot mouth against his and began kissing him back. This time, Lobanoff didn't limit himself to gentle caresses. This time his hands were hungry, snaking under his shirt; finding his nipples and kneading them roughly.

McGee struggled when Lobanoff pulled his polo shirt up and over his head. "Mitch! Please, we need to talk about this! This is moving too fast!"

Mitch stopped, breathing hard. "You're so hot, Tim. I can't believe how hard I am for you."

"I know. I've never felt so…sexually charged before, but I…we need to take it sl…Oh God!"

Lobanoff had started to lick his way down McGee's bare chest. He swirled his tongue around McGee's belly button and then let it trail down his jeans and into his crotch.

The intensity was too much and McGee threw back his head and came. Lobanoff sat back on his haunches and grinned as he watched a wet patch spread across McGee's blue jeans. "What would your mother say if she saw this, Tim?"

McGee's eyes popped open. "Okay, Mitch, that's it! We need to talk!"

"No way. My turn, McGee," he growled as he began to work open his belt. "I want to see that beautiful mouth on my cock."

McGee slipped away from him, grabbing his polo shirt up from the ground. "I'm not touching anything until we talk."

Lobanoff turned to eye him. "Come on, McGee. Take off those jeans. You look silly with that wet spot all down your front. You take your jeans off and I'll sit down and we can talk as long as you want."

McGee narrowed his eyes. "I don't think so. You don't seem to be listening with your ears today."

"Admit it. You want this."

He let out a deep breath. "I'm…really attracted to you, but this isn't right."

"It's your homophobia, Tim."

"If it were that simple, I'd know and I'd admit it. Something else feels off…"

Lobanoff smiled. "That's just your shirt, McGee, and it's begging for your pants to follow."

"You don't seem to hear anything coming out of my mouth, do you?"

"I adore your mouth. Come here, baby."

"Out! I've had it, Lobanoff. Out!" McGee pointed at the door.

"You got yours, Tim. It's my turn." Mitch pulled out his phone and clicked photos.

"Listen, you big ape, you don't leave now, and I'll call 911." McGee snatched his cell off the counter.

"And what would you say to the officers?"

"The truth, Mitch. As hard as it would be for me, I would tell the truth. I may not share much about my life, but when I have to, I tell it like it is."

Lobanoff shook his head. "You would, wouldn't you?"

"Try me."

Lobanoff zipped up his pants and grabbed the six-pack. "I'm going to chalk this up to your fear, McGee. I want you to think about how hot you felt when my tongue was trailing down your pants. You've never felt anything like that before, have you Geekboy? Give it a couple of days, and you'll be begging for me to come over."

McGee shook head, giving Lobanoff plenty of room as the FBI agent slowly exited the apartment. McGee waited for the door to close and then he fell against it, hitting all the locks. For a while, he rested his cheek against the door as the shame and anger flooded through him.

…

It was 5 a.m. and he ran his fingers through his hair to stem the shaking in his hands. The screen of his desktop was beginning to tell him a story about Lobanoff. He'd hacked three different systems since midnight and found at least 12 different incidents of sexual harassment or alleged assaults over the last fifteen years, 9 with women and 3 with men. His only consolation was that he wasn't the first man Lobanoff had preyed upon. As weird as that sounded, feeling like he was just another of Lobanoff's women left him feeling more powerless.

Most of the allegations had been covered up by the institutions where he'd been a member. There were two allegations in high school, three in college, one in grad school, one in FLETC, and three in the 7 years he'd been at the FBI. The other two he found through Metro PD. What hadn't been covered up, had petered out as victims invariably backed away from their original testimony. It made perfect sense for Lobanoff to continue preying on people as no consequences ever seemed to touch him.

McGee sat back, troubled as he wondered on what made Lobanoff choose him as a target. What little information he could gather about the other three male victims painted them as hardworking, trusting people who thought Lobanoff truly needed a friend. The realization dawned on him that Lobanoff hadn't targeted him because he seemed gay or even feminine, it was because he was a geek and therefore, socially unsophisticated; exactly the kind of person Lobanoff could manipulate.

The sun was peeking out over the horizon when he finally rested his head on his arms and took what Ziva liked to call a catnap.

….

"When my tongue moved over your cock, it jumped. Call me." McGee's face reddened as he looked at the text. He'd received over 50 of them in the last two weeks. He hadn't answered any of them. Twice, he'd gone home to find Lobanoff's car parked on his street. Both times, he kept driving; checking into a hotel for the night. Luckily, Jethro the dog spent his weekdays on doggy care farm out in the country. His long hours were unfair to the old shepherd. It was easier to just go and get him on the weekends.

DiNozzo noticed every time he showed up wearing the same clothes as the day before. McGee was indeed unsophisticated when faced with the art of the unexpected overnight. DiNozzo schooled him on keeping a couple of fresh shirts hanging in the back seat at all times. Tony pelted him with questions about his 'new girlfriend', but he was uncharacteristically angry and defensive in return.

He noticed that Gibbs was watching him closely whenever he walked into the bullpen. He stopped going down to Abby's lab because she could smell his mood a mile away, and lying to her was hardest of all.

He was running out of money for hotels. He thought about telling DiNozzo that his place was going to be painted, and he needed to crash somewhere for a few nights, but he knew that Tony would never buy it. At some point, he was going to have go home and deal with the consequences if Lobanoff decided to show up.

….

Fornell showed up in the bullpen about 8 p.m. one evening carrying a large sack. He nodded at McGee and Gibbs. "Looks like the rest of the team actually have lives."

McGee glanced up at the clock and frowned. "This isn't late."

Gibbs rolled his eyes. "What do you need, Tobias?"

"Came bearing gifts. Chinese food. Got enough for both of you. What do you like, McGee: lo mein, garlic chicken, mu shu pork, Szechuan green beans, tofu in black bean sauce? What's your pleasure?"

McGee nodded. "Thanks Fornell. I love mu shu pork."

Fornell pulled out the pork and the pancakes and handed them to him. Then he turned to Gibbs. "You got a conference room open?"

Gibbs got up and led Fornell down a hallway and into an empty room. Fornell started unpacking takout boxes. "That boy is just as loyal as that old German shepherd of his. Do you know how many times I've tried to poach him?"

Gibbs picked up the lo mein. "Don't care to know."

"The solve rate on your team is unbelievable. It always has been, but It's even more unbelievable since you took on McGee. He's the ringer on your team. With his cyber know how, he's got a skill set that no other agent in NCIS can match. We only have a couple at the bureau, but none of them are as well rounded as he is."

Gibbs gestured. "Let me call the boy in, and you can sing a love song to him."

Fornell took a bite of garlic chicken. "I know he can hack any computer system out there. Always hope that he's as circumspect as he needs to be. I don't want him getting caught. I like him, but it's important to keep an eye on him. It's impolite as well as illegal to hack a friend's system."

"I always tell you when we have to 'bypass' protocols."

"Well, you didn't this time."

Gibbs frowned. "When?"

"Almost two weeks ago. It's too hard to catch him as it is so our geeks have a snooper program on him specifically. It tells them when he's in the neighborhood."

"Must've slipped my mind."

Fornell nodded. "That's what I thought. Knew he'd never do something without your say so."

"Won't happen again, Tobias."

"Glad to hear it," he said as he pulled the green beans over to him with his chopsticks. "Just for 'protocol' sake, I should probably tell you what he accessed."

"Well, it's always important to dot all the I's and cross all the T's."

"Ever heard of an agent named Lobanoff?"

"Heard his name. He plays softball on the FBI team. What unit is he in?"

"Counter terrorism. Solid agent. Good work ethic. Nothing spectacular though. In other words, he's no McGee."

"Well, we can only have so many of those."

Fornell sighed. "Lobanoff is a good old boy. Great softball player and all around athlete. Great guy to have on a bust. Lousy investigator. Can't seem to organize himself around the details."

"Good to know. If he comes calling for a new job, I'll keep it in mind."

"McGee looked peaked to me tonight."

Gibbs grabbed the green beans away from him. "Enough with the niceties! What the hell is on your mind?"

"Well, if McGee is interested in Lobanoff, I figured I oughta' be as well. So I had my geeks do a little checking. Seems that our boy, Lobanoff, has a long history of alleged sexual assaults or harassment. In fact, the bureau has effectively covered up three of them. Maybe, it's not McGee I should be worried about. Maybe, he's helping someone. Perhaps, there's someone else on the team who's been off…tired…jumpy."

Gibbs glared at Fornell. "Why? You want to get a leg up on covering up the next one?"

Fornell snorted. "I don't like bullies, and I certainly don't like predators! The bureau gives people power, and if it gets abused, it reflects on all of us. I don't like his history. Trying to get a handle on the previous incidents, but if I can't and there is something happening now, I want to be in on the ground floor. I want to arrest this bastard and get him out of my house!"

….

Gibbs escorted Fornell to the elevator and then went back to his desk. McGee was still huddled over his computer. Gibbs leaned against his desk. "McGee."

"Yeah, Boss."

"Time to go home."

Tim nodded. "Let me just finish this search."

"You wouldn't be hacking without my okay, would you?"

McGee stopped suddenly and looked up at Gibbs. "That's why Fornell was here. I screwed up."

"You going to tell me about Lobanoff?"

McGee shook his head. "Boss, there's really nothing to tell."

"You haven't been yourself. You come in too early. You don't want to go home at night. At least two nights, I suspect you slept at your desk. You're defensive. I've always admired how you handle Tony. Now, you just snap at him."

McGee looked down at his hands. "I won't let it happen again."

"McGee?"

He looked up. "If I knew of something that could stop Lobanoff, I would tell you. I don't. All I have is my privacy, and, if possible, I would like to keep that."

"I want to help."

McGee shook his head. "There is nothing you can do."

"I just—"

"Boss, I'm tired." McGee got up. "I just need to go home and get some sleep so I can be the kind of agent I used to be."

Gibbs shook his head.

"I apologize, Boss. I shouldn't have said that. I wish I could help. I really do." He swung his backpack over his shoulder and walked away.

…..

Going home had been the right thing. Lobanoff was nowhere in sight. He collapsed on his bed and slept through two alarms before getting up and running to work. It was the 3rd night when he was turning his key into the lock that he felt him to his left. The door clicked open and he tried to scramble inside in time, but Lobanoff was on his back, one arm around his throat pressing hard before he could catch the door. McGee swung him into a wall hard, breaking Lobanoff's hold on his throat. Choking, he straightened up in time for Lobanoff's right hook to catch him under the chin. He fell against the wall and slid down to the floor, his head lolling to the side. Lobanoff leaned over and grabbed his face. "Wake up, baby. We got unfinished business."

Playing dead was something Ziva taught him. He used that one moment of surprise to slam his fist into Lobanoff's groin. The man howled and staggered backwards. Tim pulled himself up along the cupboard, trying to ignore the spots in his vision. He swayed for a moment, and then Lobanoff charged him like a bull. McGee grabbed him by the neck and they both yelled when they hit the wall. Lobanoff started punching, and McGee held on. Lobanoff was much stronger, but McGee was determined to keep fighting. They rolled around the floor while McGee responded to Lobanoff's punches with his own. Just when McGee started to lose consciousness, he heard sirens. Then he felt a weight lifted off him, and heard Lobanoff running down the hallway.

He crawled toward the bathroom in hopes that he could clean himself up before anyone saw him, but the floor started moving beneath him and he landed face first on the hardwood.

….

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for reading. I'm glad Mitch Lobanoff didn't scare you off. I'm eager to hear what you think about where this goes next. Sheila

The Mistaken Wolf

Chapter 2

When he woke, he immediately noted that someone had stripped his bedroom of most of his things, and painted the wall a grayish white. It took a moment for him to realize that the ugly walls belonged to a different place altogether. The light was harsh and it took a while for his eyes to focus.

"McGee!"

He tried to turn his head, but found it impossible. He groaned in protest.

"Hey buddy, stay still. They got you in a neck brace. Everything's good. It's just a precaution."

"Tony?" McGee almost cried when he heard the familiar, snarky voice.

Tony leaned over so McGee could see him. "I'm right here, McGee. How you feeling?"

McGee moaned in response.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Everyone is in the waiting room. Gibbs and Fornell are talking in low voices like they just stole the Pentagon Papers, and while Gibbs had us do our crime scene thing, we're not out looking for anyone. Then he acts like it's the most normal thing in the world to have Fornell slinking around like he's family or something. Seems that those two old birds know exactly what's going on, but they forgot to let us in on it."

McGee looked at him for a long moment. "Get them. I have a statement to give."

A few minutes later, they were gathered around McGee's bed. Ducky had burrowed his way in, insisting that he monitor Tim's condition.

McGee chose a spot on the wall behind them all so he didn't have to see their reactions. "It was Lobanoff just like you knew it would be, Boss."

"Lobanoff?" Tony barked. "What the hell! That son of a bitch! You better find that bastard, Fornell 'cause I'm going hunting."

"And I will break both of his legs and that is just to start!" Ziva yelled.

"Are you two done with the dinner theatre?" Gibbs growled. "Because I want to hear what Tim has to say."

"Not much to tell," McGee said hoarsely. "Lobanoff wanted to be my friend. I didn't understand, but it felt good to not be the geek for once. Turns out…he wanted more than friendship. He kissed me, but I didn't push him away. It was…unexpected, and it was…different."

Embarrassed, McGee closed his eyes.

"McGee," Gibbs said softly. "It's okay. Nobody's judging you."

McGee's chin trembled. "I was so stupid. I should've known that he didn't just want to be my friend."

Ziva took his hand. "Tell us more, Tim."

McGee took a deep breath. "I invited him over again. I wanted to talk about how confused I felt. This time he was aggressive. It was too much, too fast. I tried to reason with him, but he wouldn't listen. Somehow, I was able to get him out of my apartment. The last two weeks he's been texting, calling; he's been parked outside my apartment at night. I stayed away until I thought he lost interest. Well, as you can see, he didn't lose interest."

"Hey McGee, this is what you have friends for. You shouldn't have gone through this alone," Tony said.

"I was so embarrassed. It wasn't just the 'gay' thing. It was about being his next target. It was about being so gullible that I bought his act. I felt like a fool."

Fornell pushed his way to the front. "Tonight, did he attempt any conversation with you?"

"No," McGee mumbled. "He just jumped me from behind."

"That asshole belongs to me," DiNozzo growled.

Fornell looked at Gibbs. "Can you medicate him please before he goes out and makes this worse?"

"I kind of like his thinking, Tobias, but I'll keep him muzzled if you promise us that the bureau will deal with him this time."

Fornell's phone rang and he left without saying a word.

Everyone standing around him, the bright lights, the pain, and the vulnerability of having to confess what was most private to him crashed in on him, and he started to tremble. Ziva startled, "McGee, are you okay?"

Ducky looked up at his vitals. "He'll be fine, but he's had enough of this. Leave! All of you."

Gibbs leaned over. "Tim, we're going to take care of this."

McGee squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm so humiliated."

"Never around us," Gibbs whispered. "Never around us."

Ducky pushed them all out the door, and returned to McGee's side. "You'll be just fine. You have a concussion and a few bumps and bruises, but you'll be up in a couple of days."

McGee's eyes were wet, but somehow it didn't matter when he was around Ducky. "How will anyone of them look at me in the same way ever again?"

Ducky's eyebrows went up. "Because you kissed a man? Because you always believe the best about people? You better give your friends more credit than that, Timothy. What if this was Tony in this situation? Would you see him differently?"

McGee closed his eyes. "You're right, Ducky. I didn't think about it like that."

Ducky patted his swollen cheek. "Anytime, my boy. Anytime."

….

Out in the waiting room, Fornell got off his phone and cursed. Gibbs was there. "What?"

Fornell shook his head. "Lobanoff went down to Metro. Filed charges against McGee."

Gibbs' brows went up. Ziva and Tony come over. "You're freakin' kidding me here!"

Fornell sighed. "It's gets worse. He brought his unit supervisor and three of his buddies. His buddies provided affidavits claiming that McGee has made unwanted sexual advances toward them. Lobanoff's story is that he befriended McGee in an effort to get him to stop sexually harassing his friends. He says he wanted to counsel McGee on more appropriate ways to make friends."

DiNozzo's mouth hung open. He shook his head slowly as if unable to speak.

Gibbs pointed a finger in Fornell's face. "That is not McGee! You know that is not McGee! Those agents are lying!"

He nodded. "Yes, they are and it's shameful. Lobanoff must really have something on them to get them to sign affidavits."

"Tobias, I'm going to let your people drag his good name through the mud. Please be clear about that. I will do whatever has to be done to fix this."

"Lobanoff gets a pass. He goes home tonight like nothing happened. That's the truth, isn't it?" Tony glared at Fornell.

"Going after him is not going to be good for McGee, DiNozzo. You have to know that."

"Fornell's right, Tony. Do not engage."

"I got it, Boss," Tony said, his eyes never leaving Fornell. "There will be no engaging Lobanoff."

Out of the corner of his eye, Gibbs spied Ducky coming out of McGee's room. "Hey Duck, how's he doing?"

Ducky sighed. "Timothy is self-conscious on a good day. It is one of the reasons he is so private. He is feeling quite exposed right now."

"He did nothing wrong," Ziva said. "Surely, you told him that."

"I did but you know our Timothy. In any event, he'll probably be able to go home in a couple of days. He has two broken ribs, you know."

"I'll sit with him tonight," Ziva said. "He should have a friend around when he wakes."

Gibbs leaned over to her. "Your job will be making sure DiNozzo gets home without incident. I'll stay with him."

"Are you sure?"

"I got it, Ziva."

…..

Ziva knew it would do no good to follow DiNozzo home. His energy was electric. Instead, they went to Rosetti's. She wasn't sure if she hoped Lobanoff would show so she and DiNozzo could kick some ass or if it was best to stay cool like Gibbs ordered.

Lobanoff was a no show, and so the two of them had to content themselves with a couple of drinks. Ziva had her own rage to manage, but there was something about DiNozzo that was deadly, and she knew her emotions had to take a back seat for the time being.

Tony stroked the condensation on his whiskey glass with his forefinger. "I knew something was off weeks ago. Lobanoff is a jerk, always has been, and I knew that, and I didn't do anything."

She leaned into his face. "What? What could you have done? Is Tim not an adult? He makes his own decisions."

"I could've told him that Lobanoff referred to him as a wimp just two months ago when that ape and I were trash talking. I could've said something. I could've saved him from this."

She put her hand on his arm. "He'll be fine."

"He's in the hospital, Ziva. He is most definitely not fine."

She sat back and regarded him. "What are you more upset about: the fact that Lobanoff beat him up or the fact that he made a pass at him?"

Tony grimaced. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm asking, Tony."

He shrugged. "I'm surprised is all. I mean, if I'd really believed he was gay, I would never have teased him like I did."

"McGee never said he was gay."

"He kissed a guy, Ziva."

She chortled. "And I've kissed more than a few girls."

His eyebrows rose. "And I want to hear all about it."

"He was curious."

Tony shook his head. "Lobanoff took advantage. It's what he does. He thought McGee was an easy mark and he manipulated him. I can see these kinds of things. McGee can't. He's too trusting. I should've seen this coming, Ziva."

Her expression softened. "He's the little brother and you're the more experienced older brother. Your job is to protect him."

DiNozzo worried his lower lip. "Something like that."

She smiled. "Well, your secret's safe with me, Tony."

"Good. I don't want people getting the wrong impression…thinking I care too much or something."

….

Years of being a Marine and then an agent on stakeouts had changed the way Gibbs slept. He was acutely attuned to movements and sound around him. He opened his eyes at 3:32 a.m. and looked at McGee. As his eyes acclimated to the dark, he saw McGee staring at him. "How you doing, Tim?'

"You don't need to be here, Boss."

"Didn't want you to wake up alone."

"I'll be okay."

Gibbs sighed. "Okay was not what I saw on your face a few hours ago."

"I was a fool."

"Naw. You were a nice guy and then you got curious…and that happens to people. It wasn't your fault he turned out to be an asshole."

McGee closed his eyes. "I wish I could believe that."

"You have to follow through with this, Tim. He's got a history. Can't let him get away this time."

He nodded. "I know how to do the right thing. Was trained from an early age. Might ruin my career, but I'll do it."

"I won't let it happen, Tim. I promise you."

McGee's eyes searched him. "I thought you would be the hardest. I can never really read you, Boss. You don't make mistakes, and you have to admit…this is one whale of a mistake."

Gibbs smirked. "I've made plenty. I'm just good at hiding them. And I know I don't show my feelings; it's just who I am. I don't judge you. I can't."

McGee furrowed his brows. "You can't?"

Gibbs shook his head. "We're both tired. Close your eyes, McGee. Let's see if we both can get a few more hours."

"Boss?"

"We'll talk later." Gibbs leaned against the back of the chair and closed his eyes.

….

The door eased open and Gibbs blinked his eyes open, looking at the clock: 6:00 a.m. He expected a nurse. They always seemed to insist on waking people out of a dead sleep to check a blood pressure or a temperature. Instead, it was a large man. He couldn't make out whom in the dark. The man looked down at McGee, not noticing Gibbs right away on the other side of the bed.

"McGee," he whispered. "Wake up. I gotta' talk to you."

McGee moaned.

Then he shook him. "Wake up!"

There was only one person who would have the balls to be here at this time of the morning. Gibbs stood up and growled. "Leave him alone, Lobanoff!"

The man startled, stepping back. "Shit! Who are you?"

"Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS."

The man was breathing hard, and Gibbs could tell he was wondering about running. Then McGee raised his head. "What are you doing here, Mitch?"

Lobanoff hit the lights. "We need to talk, McGee. We got to put this right before you lose your career."

"You better leave," McGee said in a low voice.

"What if your boss finds out everything about you, Tim? You don't want that."

McGee turned to look at Gibbs. "I already told him everything. You and me. The kissing. Everything."

Lobanoff seemed taken aback by this.

Gibbs rounded the bed. "Time to go, Lobanoff."

Lobanoff backed up a couple of steps. "Do you know about the affidavits, McGee?"

"What?" McGee struggled to get up on his elbows.

Gibbs pushed Lobanoff into the door with a loud thud. "Get out of here now!"

"I don't understand, Boss." McGee was sliding off the bed. "What affidavits?"

Gibbs opened the door and glared at Lobanoff. "I'll drag you down this hallway by your ear if I have to."

Lobanoff looked over Gibbs' shoulder at McGee. "Everyone will know. You want that?"

"Boss?" McGee stood beside the bed in nothing but a hospital gown.

Gibbs grabbed Lobanoff by the lapels and dragged him out into the hallway, hissing into his face. "The only career that's ending today is yours! You show up at this hospital again today and I'll have you arrested!"

Lobanoff jerked away and stumbled down the hallway. Gibbs watched him get onto the elevator, and then turned to McGee who was standing beside him, clutching his side. He steered him back into the room. "Get back into bed, McGee.

"Are you going to tell me about the affidavits now?"

Gibbs sighed. "Fornell told me last night that Lobanoff has affidavits from three fellow male agents saying that you've made…unwanted advances on them."

McGee sat on the bed frozen. He finally found his voice. "That's not possible…never happened…ever…I promise you…I…"

"Don't Tim," Gibbs said shaking his head. "You don't have to convince me. I knew it was a lie the moment Fornell told me."

"Is my career over?" he whispered.

Gibbs took him by the shoulders and gently pushed him back into the pillow. "Just lie down. You gotta' rest."

"Boss!" McGee's chin trembled.

Gibbs leaned over and looked into his eyes. "I'm going to make this go away. I promise you."

"You're going to meet with the FBI. I should be there."

Gibbs shook his head. "You can barely stay on your feet. I have to stop this before someone lets this get too big. Don't worry. I'll handle it."

McGee closed his eyes and nodded at him.

"Try to get some rest."

McGee didn't say anything. He just rolled over on his side and stared at the wall.

…..

Gibbs sat down in the commissioner's office at Metro. Fornell nodded as did Agent George Duggar, Lobanoff's superior. Commissioner Fields sat down at the head of the table. "I am happy to host this meeting. We'd be more than happy to get out of the middle of a fight between feds."

"This isn't a turf battle," Fornell said. "We're talking about an assault that happened outside of work time, unrelated to case work."

"Lobanoff is a hothead," Duggar began. "But I don't see him creating some huge conspiracy against your agent, Gibbs."

"It isn't a huge conspiracy. Lobanoff is a predator. I got proof on that and so does Fornell. As for these affidavits, give me fifteen minutes with each of those agents, and we'll get to the bottom of why they're covering for Lobanoff."

Duggar bristled. "So my guy is a hump and your guy is an angel."

Gibbs shrugged. "Well, I wouldn't use those words, but…"

"Yeah, and I thought we were going to sit here like gentlemen and get to the bottom of this," Fornell growled. "Let's try to go five minutes without a pissing contest."

"Duggar, did Fornell show you what he found?"

The agent nodded. "It was disturbing, but I got to stand by my guy just like you're standing by your guy. Can't come to conclusions until I talk to him."

"Here's the difference, Duggar." Gibbs leaned in. "You check out McGee. He's a clean slate. A solid agent. A good investigator. McGee's mistake in all this is he was always the last kid picked for the team. Liked the idea of being friends with the jock. He was a perfect mark for Lobanoff."

"Sounds naïve? You sure he's a good agent?"

"He's the best. Ask Fornell."

"Whose side you playing for, Tobias?" Duggar gave him a hard look.

Fornell grinned. "Give it up, Duggar. This isn't about turf. I was looking into Lobanoff before this happened. Was getting ready to pull you in when he showed up at McGee's apartment and attacked him. You want to know whose side I'm on? I'm not on Lobanoff's side. That's for damn sure. He's a menace. He should not be an agent for the Bureau."

"Okay gentlemen, what are we going to do about these charges?" Fields asked.

Gibbs shook his head. "McGee's not dropping his. It's clear-cut. We got the text messages that Lobanoff sent and we got McGee going home to his apartment and being jumped from behind. That can't be disputed. Plus, we got a history a mile long with Lobanoff pulling similar behavior on men and women."

"We got affidavits," Duggar growled.

"McGee has worked for NCIS for eight years. There isn't even a hint of a harassment complaint in his jacket. Yet, you have three guys, all friends of Lobanoff's and all from the same unit drawing up affidavits all on the same night. Think about it, Duggar. It's stinks."

"You're talking about ruining a lot of careers, Gibbs. It might not mean much to you, but these men have families."

Gibbs threw up his arms. "So get to the bottom of it! Each one of them needs a little heart to heart about their future with the bureau. Send in Uncle Toby. He's a genius with this kind of thing. He'll sort it out."

"Tell me you would go hunting in your own pasture, Gibbs."

"If I had a bad apple, I would. Duggar, he's stinking up the whole barrel. I can see it and Tobias can see it. You get rid of him, and you have a chance of saving the idiots that signed affidavits for him."

Duggar pointed at Gibbs. "Do you see how he is, Tobias? Makes me want to punch him into next week."

"Yeah, he's an asshole, but what are we going to do, Duggar. He's right. You and I got to go back to the Bureau and clean up this sorry mess. No way around it."

"And the charges?" Fields asked. "We can't just dismiss them on your say so."

"McGee's are going to stick. We'll talk to Lobanoff and then we'll see." Fornell said.

….

Gibbs finished the rest of the day at the Navy yard before returning to Bethesda. Ziva, Tony, and Ducky were in the waiting room when he showed up. He nodded at them. "How was his day?"

Tony raised an eyebrow and looked at Ducky. "He's monosyllabic at best."

"Abby was here earlier, and even she couldn't get him to talk. We had to hustle her out of here because she was getting too frustrated."

Ducky nodded. "He is quite depressed today. He's quite sure his reputation has been irreparably harmed."

Gibbs nodded at his room. "Is he in there?"

"He's getting a follow up CT scan. Should be back in about an hour."

"All of you go home. I'll stay with him."

Ducky frowned. "This is the second night in the row for you."

"I won't stay the whole time. I just want to talk to him."

Ziva narrowed her eyes. "Is Fornell going to fix this?"

"He better," Gibbs growled. "Now get out of here."

He sank into a chair and watched them wearily troop down to the elevator. He tried to get a few moments of sleep, but last night in a chair had left his neck too sore. After a few minutes, he got up and went into McGee's room. They liked to throw a fit when visitors got into hospital beds, but right now he was too tired to care. He slipped off his shoes and lay down on the bed. He fell asleep almost instantly.

He remembered waking when McGee was wheeled in. The nurse tried to get Gibbs out of bed, but McGee said he would handle it and then he disappeared into the bathroom. Gibbs closed his eyes again for another couple of minutes. When he woke again, the room was dark, illuminated only by a full moon at the window. He was still stretched out on the bed. He frowned and lifted his head. Then he saw McGee as he himself had been the night before in a chair by the bed. The only difference was that McGee made the concession of leaning forward and using the bed as a pillow for his head.

Gibbs leaned up on his elbow and shook his head. It was pure McGee to figure that the boss needed the bed more than he did. Sweet, geeky McGee who had worked for him tirelessly for the last eight years when there were so many other more lucrative outlets for his numerous talents. He didn't need law enforcement for fulfillment like the rest of them, but he was there alongside them nonetheless.

Gibbs took advantage of his good nature and his need to please. He worked him hard, challenged him continually, and rarely thanked him. In the beginning, it had been a test to see if the geek had staying power, but now he did it because McGee seemed to rise to every challenge. He seemed to thrive under pressure.

McGee always seemed vulnerable: a sweet-faced kid with a mind like a computer and the heart of a poet. Gibbs was protective of all of them, but something about this incident with Lobanoff left him unhinged. It tapped something in him that he long worked to suppress. He would have to bury it again as he had before, but just for a moment, he allowed himself a moment to acknowledge the beauty of his youngest agent.

The moon illuminated the contours of his young, smooth face, and Gibbs was gripped by a desire to know if his skin was as soft as it looked. He reached over and touched the side of McGee's face with only his fingertips. He traced the bruise on his face, but stopped when his fingers got too close to McGee's mouth. Tracing those pouty lips would push him into territory he couldn't afford to travel.

McGee groaned and Gibbs pulled his hand back, sitting up stiffly. Green eyes popped open. "Boss?"

Gibbs swallowed. "The bed's for you, ya' blockhead."

"You stayed the night before. I just figured you were pretty tired."

Gibbs slid off the bed. "Come on. Get in bed and get some sleep."

McGee groaned as he struggled to wake his stiff, bruised muscles. Gibbs supported his back with one hand and guided him onto the mattress. McGee looked up. "Did you hear from Fornell?"

"He'll take care of it, Tim."

"What if he doesn't? What if my foolishness ends my career?"

Gibbs gripped his shoulder and leaned in. "You weren't foolish and your career is going to be fine. I promise."

McGee nodded. "Thanks for stopping, Boss."

"Tony is going to be here in the morning to take you home."

"I'll be ready."

"I need you back in the office next week."

"Geez, Boss, I can be there tomorrow afternoon."

Gibbs shook his head. "Next week. Do what I say, Tim."

McGee nodded. 'Thanks again."

Gibbs slipped out the door quickly, and then in the deserted hallway of an early morning, he leaned against the door and closed his eyes. He had come far too close to revealing his deepest secret.

…

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: In the coming chapters, there is more McGibbs heat, but a surprising amount of Tony. A lot of this story is turning out to be around their friendship. My chapters are always long and I never know if this is a selling point or if it limits the readership. I feel like real movement has to occur with each chapter and it's hard to capture that with only one or two scenes. If you have thoughts on this, let me know. Sheila

The Mistaken Wolf

Chapter 3

Gibbs found Fornell's car in front of his house when he went home to get a shower before work. He frowned and walked up to the passenger door and found the seat back and Tobias asleep. He grinned and knocked loudly right where Fornell's ear was. The agent's head jerked forward and he scrambled for his gun. Gibbs started laughing and waving. Fornell opened his door and glared at him. "I swear to God, Jethro!"

"Come in. I'll make you a cup of coffee."

Fornell stumbled after him.

Gibbs shook his head. "Why are you camped out on my curb? You can't call me on the phone."

"Wanted to talk in person."

Gibbs stopped his search for clean cups and turned to him. "Something go wrong with Lobanoff?"

"No, it went well. His three stooges recanted within minutes of hearing how I was going to dismantle their careers. It turns out that he'd preyed on all three of them, in one way or the other."

"They owe McGee an apology."

"It's in the works."

"And Lobanoff?"

"Duggar and I formally fired him at the end of the day."

"Job well done," Jethro said, handing him a steaming cup.

"I'd never met Lobanoff before. Guy is a frickin' predator."

"You knew that."

"No, when I described him as a predator, I was imagining a garden variety asshole with a overinflated sense of entitlement. The guy I met today is a stone cold predator. The man's eyes were dead when we told him. The look he gave us…I had my hand on my gun until he was out of the building."

"I thought it was awfully damn bold when he came into McGee's hospital room yesterday morning."

"His colleagues are not going to press charges. I could only get bits and pieces. My guess is that McGee's going to be the only one."

"And you think Lobanoff will go after him again."

"The last time I met someone with eyes like that, it was when I was arresting Rollo Obermeier for strangling 27 teen-age girls. I'm just saying."

…

"Come on, McSick. It's off to bed for you." Tony helped him take off his coat, and then went into the kitchen and starting rooting through the refrigerator.

"Tony, I'm not an invalid. If the refrigerator is empty, I'll just go shopping."

"Not on the amount of vicodin you've been prescribed."

McGee didn't argue. His muscles still ached from the punches and kicks Lobanoff landed. He slowly lowered himself onto his couch and sighed. His plan after Tony left was to take his drugs and sleep for at least 12 hours.

Tony came out of the kitchen and dropped a pen and notepad into his lap. "Make a list of what you want. You got nothing to eat in this house."

Before he could protest, Tony disappeared into the bedroom. Tim put the pen and pan on the coffee table and grabbed his laptop. He used an online grocery delivery for most of his food shopping. He pulled up a screen and began absently making choices.

Tony rustled up some clean sheets and began changing McGee's bed. He knew his probie like his things clean, but doubted he had the energy to do this himself. As he was plumping the pillows, he stopped to look out McGee's window. It was a quiet street, and that's why he noticed when a car drove by moving only half the speed the limit allowed. It was a black Mitsubishi SUV, but he wasn't close enough to see the plates.

He dropped the pillow on the bed and picked up his phone. "Ziva, remind me what kind of car Lobanoff drives."

He grimaced. "That's what I thought. I think he's cruising McGee's building."

Then the SUV appeared again, driving slowly past. Tony cursed. "It's a definite. The animal is stalking McGee. I'm going to pack up McGee and get him out of here."

McGee had just finished posting his order when Tony came in. "Sorry Tim, but we need to pack a bag and get you out of here. Lobanoff's cruising the street outside."

McGee narrowed his eyes. "Let him. The door has two locks. I'll be fine."

Tony shook his head. "Staying is not an option."

"I got a gun, Tony."

DiNozzo did a double take. "Because we should let it get to that, right?"

"I'm not running from him. Not going to do it." McGee was quiet but firm, and DiNozzo had some experience with his partner's stubbornness.

"Guess I'm staying too then."

McGee winced. "Come on, man. I just want to go to bed. He can drive around all he wants. There is no way in hell he'd be dumb enough to try anything."

"Fornell told Gibbs that Loganoff really scares him. You ever hear Fornell be afraid of someone?"

Tim shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not around him that much."

"You going make me pull out the big guns?"

McGee leaned toward him. "If this were you, Tony, you'd want to handle it all by yourself. Well, I got my pride too, and I'm not going anywhere."

"Alright, then we better find a decent movie on this TV 'cause I'm not playing your idiot video games."

DiNozzo pulled his weapon when he heard pounding on the door. McGee had fallen asleep within minutes after Tony found "Bridge on the River Kwai" on the TV. He sidled up against the door and called. "Who is it?"

"Gibbs!"

Tony relaxed, checked the peephole, and opened the door. Gibbs came in followed by Fornell and Ziva. "Don't tell me. He was gone by the time you all got here."

Gibbs nodded.

"I'd accuse you of overreacting, but the doorman across the street was watching the same car. He saw it pass 5 times and took down a license plate. It was Lobanoff," Fornell said.

There was movement behind them and a skinny kid with grocery bags appeared.

Tony nodded. "McGee's groceries."

Gibbs frowned. "You can get them delivered to your door?"

"Welcome to the 21st century."

The grocery kid saw the gun in DiNozzo's hand and froze. "You cops?"

"Yeah."

The kid nodded and went into the kitchen. Something about the the kid was definitely off and Tony looked at Gibbs. "You think the kid has some kind of warrant or something?"

Gibbs brushed past Tony and went into the kitchen. "What's your name, kid?"

The young man jumped. "Listen man, I didn't know cops were involved."

"What did you do?"

"A guy stopped me downstairs. He paid me $50 to put something in the groceries."

Gibbs turned his head. "He's downstairs."

DiNozzo and Ziva took off running.

Gibbs turned back to the kid. "Show me what he did."

The kid started to unpack one of the bags. "I made sure he didn't take anything. I think all he did was put something in."

Then the kid picked up a box of cereal. "This looks like it was opened."

Gibbs grabbed it from him and looked inside. He pulled out a photo. It was a hastily taken photo of a flushed, angry McGee with his shirt unbuttoned and his hair disheveled. There was a large stain at the groin of his pants. He turned it over and it said, "Destroying you is all I care about now."

"What are you guys doing here?" McGee was awake, blinking at the people at the door. He saw the grocery boy, and he dug in his pockets for a tip.

Gibbs shook his head, grabbing the kid by the shirt and pushing him out the door. "Put your money away. That kid wasn't doing you any favors."

Fornell reached for the photo, but Gibbs jerked it away, shaking his head. "This isn't going into evidence."

McGee was awake now. "What do you got there, Boss?"

Gibbs handed it to him. McGee looked at it and sucked in breath. He tore it into small bits and threw it away.

"Pack up, Tim. You're not staying here."

McGee looked up, his eyes red and angry. "I'm not going anywhere. Not running from him anymore. Sorry you had to come out. I'm going back to bed now."

Fornell looked from Gibbs to McGee. "I'll go downstairs and check on Tony and Ziva."

"I'm not afraid of him. I've been wishing he'd show up all day. I'm not backing down."

Gibbs nodded slowly. "I believe you, Tim, but he's not going to be satisfied with a fistfight anymore. You have to think about the people in this building. Lobanoff is going for broke. A little collateral damage isn't going to bother him."

"I'm not going to a safehouse."

"You're going to my house."

"Boss," he shook his head. "I know how you feel about your privacy. Can't do that to you."

"I have plenty of space. You'll do your thing and I'll do mine. There's even a room upstairs you can use for any Elf lording you need to do."

McGee closed his eyes and blushed. "I appreciate it, Boss."

"Get some things together. I'll wait here."

"About that photo you saw, I feel like I should—"

"McGee, I didn't really get a good look. Don't have my glasses with me. Do me a favor and get a bag packed, okay?"

McGee nodded and headed off to his bedroom. Gibbs leaned against the wall and steadied his breathing. The image of McGee in a state of sexual undress was now imprinted on his brain forever. The thought of sleeping just a room away from him left him a little lightheaded.

….

Gibbs led him to a spare bedroom. It was fairly utilitarian as Gibbs didn't bother with much with pictures on the wall or such. McGee didn't pay attention. Pain medication and the stress of his first day home left him exhausted and he let Gibbs fold him in under the bed covers.

He slept long and hard. The medication brought vivid dreams, and he moaned and mumbled his way through one surreal dream to another. At one point, he woke to voices downstairs. He recognized Fornell's voice and Gibbs. He struggled onto his elbows with the intention of getting up and joining them, but his eyes betrayed him and he dropped back to sleep.

The dreams left him restless, and he found himself tossing and turning on bruised muscle and bone. He felt a hand on his arm and he jerked away, sending his other hand fisted at the intruder. The hand was captured, and then strong arms gripped him around the torso and he woke with a yell.

"Hey McGee, it's just me."

He turned to find his face just inches from Gibbs. "Callout?"

Gibbs grinned. "Not hardly. You're jumping around in your sleep too much. Making a lot of noise."

Tim winced. "Sorry Boss."

"I called Ducky and he reminded me that you should've taken your pain meds a few hours ago." He let go of McGee and reached over for a glass of water and two vicodin.

McGee took them and then the water.

"You need food."

"Not hungry, Boss."

Gibbs reached for a plate. "Crackers with peanut butter."

McGee smiled. "Mom used to make these for me when I was a kid."

"Well, don't get used to it."

McGee munched on a couple of crackers and then lost interest. He looked up. "It doesn't seem right; you looking after me like this."

"Would you do it for me if the situation was reversed?"

McGee closed his eyes and nodded.

"Enough said about it then. We're a team. It's what we do."

"What time is it?"

"It's about 2 .m. Eat another cracker 'cause I need to get back to bed."

"Thanks for everything."

McGee was done fussing about the boss' sacrifice. He ate another cracker as ordered and then shuffled to the bathroom. Gibbs reflected on the few moments he held McGee in his arms. Then his cock twitched and he jumped up, aware that he wouldn't last another minute sitting on McGee's bed. He slipped out of the room.

When McGee got back, Gibbs was gone. He turned off the light and lay down quietly. The old home's walls were thin, and he waited for the sound of Gibbs snoring but it never came. McGee contemplated the last few days; amazed at the gentle support he got from the usually reserved and impatient man. It was as if Gibbs knew exactly what he was experiencing.

….

"McGee, what are you doing here? I thought you were still out of the office for a few days."

McGee looked up from his computer. "I must be protected from Lobanoff at all times. I think you've been assigned to accompany me to the restroom for the day."

DiNozzo's eyebrows rose. "Sarcasm isn't a good color on you."

"My life is ridiculous right now."

Tony heard a beep and looked at his email. He saw something from Vance with the subject line "McGee". He frowned and opened it. The text read, "The truth about Timothy McGee". There was an attachment. Tony didn't open it. He could tell already that Vance had nothing to do with whatever it was. He glanced over at McGee and saw him buried in his email. Then he jerked up and out of his chair, cursing. People around the bullpen looked at him. Embarrassment flooded into his face and he started toward the elevators.

Tony got up and followed. He didn't know what the attachment was, but he suspected it was another attempt by Lobanoff to humiliate McGee. By this time, most of the room was standing and watching McGee at the elevator. Tony turned to them and snapped. "What the hell are you all looking at?"

The elevator opened and Tony followed McGee inside. McGee put his phone to his ear and waited. "Lobanoff, you better pick up, you bastard! I'm coming for you. You just tell me when and where."

McGee clicked the phone shut and looked down at the floor, breathing hard.

"I didn't open it," DiNozzo murmured.

"It's a picture of me, but it's not a good picture. He put the same one in my groceries yesterday."

Tony nodded.

"He sent it to everyone in this building. I can't live with that."

"People will know—"

McGee hit emergency stop on the elevator. "Tony, I appreciate you. I don't have a better friend in this world. I know you intend to stick with me, but you gotta' think about this. I plan to hurt him. I plan to break both local and possibly, federal laws. My career is over. Where this lands me is of little concern to me right now."

DiNozzo shrugged. "I'm going where you're going, and I'm doing what you're doing. It's how we roll, Probie."

McGee stared at him for a long time. Then he released the emergency stop, but instead of hitting the first floor, he hit the button that took them back upstairs.

Tim—"

"I can't let you get hurt, Tony. This is my fight."

When the elevator doors opened, they found themselves both staring into Gibbs' steely blue eyes. "You two done with the heroics?"

McGee looked at Tony and nodded. He stepped into the room and found everyone on their feet looking at him. Shame flooded his gut and he couldn't meet their eyes.

Swenson from Balboa's team stepped forward. "McGee, there isn't a person in this room that doesn't know you to be a decent person. Whatever it was has been deleted from all systems on this floor. Abby sent out an email warning that it contains a virus, and Vance just let us know that all department heads will make sure it's gone by the end of the day."

McGee looked up. "Thank you. All of you."

Tony threw up his hands. "We were gone for less than 5 minutes. How did you mobilize so quickly?"

"It was McGee. Easy decision," Swenson said. "If it had been you on the other hand…"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Good to know, Swenson."

….

Vance pointed a finger. "I wanted him in custody! He hacked my secured account, and attempted to malign one of my best agents! Take him down!"

Fornell nodded and looked at Gibbs. "He's going to get bail, but I agree with the director here. I'm tired of his antics."

"Well, if I find him first, it's guaranteed that he's going to have a little accident," Gibbs growled.

Vance shook his head. "He's a menace, and I worry that it's going to get much worse. Find him and put him away."

Fornell nodded. "There's no doubt that he's escalating."

Vance turned to a pale McGee. "You don't look like you should be here, but I don't have another person that can track an email trail like you can. Can you find the evidence that will tie this incident to Lobanoff?"

"If it's there, I'll find it."

"Alright, let's do it."

…..

DiNozzo walked into the seedy bar. He had spent the last few days waiting for an opportunity to go after Lobanoff. In anticipation, he greased every bartender and server he ever saw Lobanoff talk to, and when it was time to collect, he started texting. It only took an hour to find out that Lobanoff had changed his drinking hole to an old waterfront bar named Cubby's.

He stayed loose as he sauntered into long dimly lighted room. He immediately zoned in on Lobanoff sitting alone at the end of the bar drinking whiskey. Lobanoff looked up when DiNozzo approached, but he did nothing other than lift his whiskey glass and drain it. Then he tapped the bar for another.

DiNozzo leaned against the bar and watched him. "You're spending the night in a cell, Mitch."

Lobanoff shook his head. "Ain't got any evidence, DiNozzo."

"Using a geek trick against a supergeek is not a smart move. McGee traced your work to an FBI agent named Watson. I figure he's another person you're blackmailing. Fornell and Gibbs worked him over. We know everything."

The bartender approached with another whiskey. "I don't want no trouble in here."

"That's up to Mr. Lobanoff here."

Lobanoff chortled. "Don't worry, Cubby. DiNozzo is all bluster. Give him a whiskey on my tab."

DiNozzo put a hand up. "Save it. We're done drinking."

"I can't figure out why you treat him like he's your best friend. He's got no personality. All he has is a big brain. It's pathetic."

Tony shook his head. "You want me to pound you into the ground, don't you? That's the only explanation for saying stupid shit like that."

"He's not worth all this energy."

"It doesn't surprise me that you can't see the worth of a decent human being."

Lobanoff scraped his chair back. "Let's see what you got, Tony, 'cause I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Come on, Guys!" Cubby said. "Not in my place!"

Tony grew a smile as Ziva snuck up behind him and buried her gun in his neck. Lobanoff cursed and put his hands up. "Good choice! The Israeli will kill you as soon as look at you. Nobody messes with her McGee."

Ziva leaned into his ear. "I do not like manipulative bullies who hurt my friends. I would enjoy shooting you."

"Get her away from me, DiNozzo."

Tony shook his head. "This is too much fun. Ziva, cuff this fool."

Ziva cuffed him and pulled him to his feet. Tony got nose to nose with him. "I almost wish Ziva hadn't been here. It would have been worth it just to beat you to a bloody pulp."

Lobanoff started to respond, but Ziva pushed him past DiNozzo and out the door.

…

McGee sat in Abby's lab staring at the computer screen. The two of them had tracked Lobanoff's email trail and put Gibbs on an FBI agent named Watson. It took only an hour to break him. It was another disaster averted, but McGee hadn't recovered from the humiliation of the photo sent to all NCIS employees. Abby had sent out a snooper that alerted department heads to which computers still held the image, but it was a visceral attack on the privacy of a very sensitive man and McGee felt it keenly.

Abby had urged him to go home hours ago, but he felt paralyzed from both exhaustion and humiliation. She wrapped her arms around him from behind and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Timmy, you have to go home."

He tried to shrug her off, but she held on. "Gibbs won't let me go to my apartment. Says Lobanoff will probably be out on bail tomorrow."

"It's not bad at his house."

McGee sighed. "I just want my life back."

She kissed his temple. "I know."

Tony and Ziva came in followed by Gibbs.

"We put him away for the night, McGee," Tony announced.

McGee nodded. "Thanks Tony."

Gibbs frowned. "Abby, I thought you were going to send him back to my place."

"He didn't want to go."

McGee straightened up. "Sorry Boss, I just feel a little lost right now."

Tony slapped him on the back. "You need something to get this off your mind and I know just the thing."

McGee winced. "Going out to the clubs is not the solution to every problem, Tony."

"Nope. I'm thinking of about how you've wanted to take me camping forever."

"What?"

"You know! I've never been camping and you're always saying how we should go camping."

McGee frowned. "And you're always telling me you won't go until they come up with a tent with an indoor toilet."

"Come on, McGrouchy! We'll go this weekend. Get out of town for a few days. No Lobanoff. No work. You'll come back with a million 'DiNozzo out of his element' stories."

"It's a good idea, Tim."

McGee turned to Gibbs, surprised to hear from him. "Do you like to camp, Boss?"

"Perfect!" Tony turned to Gibbs. "You'll come too. You like to fish. It'll be an all guys weekend."

"Oh, I don't know," Gibbs said.

"I have a four man tent, Boss."

Gibbs looked at McGee. It was the only enthusiasm he'd seen in his agent in a week, and there was something about the look on his face that made him want to please him. "Alright, let's do it."

"I want to go! I want to go!" Abby jumped up and down.

"Abby, this is the weekend you were going to take me to your church," Ziva said quickly. She knew that a tactile and excitable Abby was going to be too much for her three male teammates in a four-man tent.

"We could do that any weekend," Abby responded.

"But I have changed all of my plans for this. Abby, you can go camping with McGee another time."

There was a finality in Ziva's voice that Abby understood, and so she sighed. "Please take pictures. I can't wait to see Tony in the wild."

…

"He's out on bail, but I sat him down and we had a little talk. Because we still have an open investigation on him, I let Lobanoff know just how closely we're watching him. He knows that one more mis-step, and he's back in jail. The judge told him that he won't get bail if he gets anywhere near McGee."

"Mis-step! Fornell, he sent a very…personal picture of McGee to the entire agency!" Gibbs yelled into the phone.

"Jethro, I'm doing everything I can."

"Make him disappear! McGee doesn't deserve this." Ziva and Tony looked up from their work.

"Right, I'll go out and shoot him as soon as I finish my coffee."

"Tobias!"

"Believe me. He has a very clear understanding of the consequences coming his way if he steps out of line."

"I'm underwhelmed."

"Big surprise. I gotta' go."

Gibbs cursed when Fornell hung up on him.

Tony cocked his head. "You really have a way with people, Boss."

….

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

15

A/N: I should parse out this story more slowly, but this is my favorite chapter, and I couldn't hang onto any longer. Secrets are revealed and the sexual tension is dialed up to an eleven. Next chapter won't be ready until Sunday. Hope to hear from you. Sheila

The Mistaken Wolf

Chapter 4

Gibbs left his bottle of bourbon out on the counter. McGee hit a point a couple days after Lobanoff got bail where he was on a first name basis with despair, and he poured himself a shot. As easy as staying at Gibbs' was, it still felt like his mistake hung over him like a specter.

The first shot went down hard with him choking and clutching the counter; the second one wasn't much better. He shook his head to get the sting of hard alcohol out of his throat, and then he poured more into a coffee mug and weaved into the living room where he was working on his laptop. He figured he'd be fast asleep before Gibbs emerged from the basement.

He was having a rather sloppy IM conversation with his gamer friend in Spain when Gibbs came up from the basement and disappeared into the kitchen. He came out with his bourbon bottle and a coffee cup. McGee remembered the damage he'd done to the bottle and he blushed, quickly signing off with his friend. He sat up quickly. "Hey Boss, I drank some of your bourbon. Sorry about that. I'll be sure to replace it."

Gibbs sat on the other end of the couch and poured a generous portion into his mug. "It doesn't bother me if you drink it."

McGee responded with a hiccup and Gibbs grinned.

"I'm not much of a drinker, Boss."

"Yeah, you could've fooled me, Tim."

"Guess I'm a little out of sorts."

"I've noticed. I've been watching you brood all week. You're still beating yourself up over Lobanoff."

"It's pretty humiliating."

Gibb sighed and took a long draw off his mug. "I've been wanting to tell you a story for a while, but I'm not good at sharing private things about my life. Was in the basement tonight drinking and thinking about how to do this. I think it might help."

McGee screwed up his face. "What are you talking about, Boss?"

Gibbs faced him and took another gulp of bourbon. "I was young. It was before I was married. Met a guy named Wilson. We were good friends, the best of friends really. We were always competing with each other, trying to make each other better. Then we'd get leave, and we'd hit the bars together. Damn good friend."

McGee nodded. He closed his laptop and put it on the coffee table.

"Crazy thing happened one night when we were drinking. We had a hotel room. Started wrestling, and…the wrestling turned into something else."

McGee froze.

Gibbs took another swig and continued. "It was weird. It happened and we never said a word to each other, but the next weekend, we went out got drunk, got a hotel room, started wrestling, and let it happen all over again. It went on like that for about three months, weekend after weekend."

McGee shook his head. "Neither one of you said anything."

Gibbs chuckled. "We were 19 and 20. We didn't have language for anything but drinking and fighting. Talking about it would have made it real, and we didn't want to touch that. You think homophobia is bad now; it was crazy bad then. Marines would've bounced both of us, and if that didn't happen, there was a good chance one or both of us was going to get our head beat in."

"What happened?" McGee whispered.

"Nothing. Someone noticed that we spent too much time together. Then our sergeant sat us down and told us we needed to expand our peer group or tongues were going to start wagging. It scared the hell out of both of us and stopped everything cold. Sergeant transferred Wilson out of the platoon a week later."

"Did you ever see him again?"

Gibbs worried his mouth a little. "Wilson showed up after Shannon and Kelly were killed. Stayed with me for almost three months."

"No more wrestling?"

"We were too old for all that, but we were mature enough to know how to make love and we did a lot of that."

"It didn't last."

Gibbs downed what was left in his mug. "Wilson was ready to fall in love, but I couldn't. It was too early for sure, but I also wasn't ready to contemplate life with a man."

"Do you still talk to him?"

"Not in fifteen years. Every time I think I want to find him, I realize that I still don't know what to say."

McGee nodded. "I'll never tell another soul that story. I promise."

"You know why I told you that story?"

"I kissed a man."

"And I think you liked it. Would you feel half the humiliation you feel right now if you hadn't kissed him?"

"No."

Gibbs scooted closer. "Do you think my story makes me less of a man?"

McGee shook his head.

"You're going to be okay, Tim." Gibbs reached up and patted his cheek. Then something took hold, and he let his hand settle on his young agent's smooth face.

"Boss?"

Gibbs eyes stared into his. "You've never felt me watching you?"

McGee's breath caught. "Never imagined…"

Gibbs pulled his hand away, but somehow McGee's face came along with it, and then that plump lower lip was inches from his. Gibbs avoided his mouth, sliding his face along McGee's but making sure that the boy could feel and hear his hot breath on his cheek.

McGee gulped when he realized he'd stopped breathing and he took charge, wrapping his hand around the back of Gibbs' neck, and bringing him back to his mouth. He kissed Gibbs slowly. Then he pulled away for a moment and looked at him. Those steely blue eyes were as soft as he'd ever seen them.

"Better than Lobanoff?" Gibbs whispered.

"Much," was all McGee could say.

Gibbs smiled and pulled him for a real kiss this time, taking a moment to suck on that lower lip that had gotten so much play in his fantasies. McGee groaned and opened his mouth to Gibbs, and the two men got lost in kissing each other deeply, taking time to taste and smell and savor one another.

After a few minutes, McGee felt himself being pushed, and soon found himself on his back on the couch with Gibbs straddling him. Strong, calloused hands reached under his shirt and pushed it up around his neck. Then Gibbs went to work on McGee's nipples, chewing them lightly, his strong hands claiming skin. He traced the outline of the bruise still on McGee's torso, stopping to kiss whatever he touched. McGee went into sensation overload and he bucked against Gibbs.

Gibbs lifted his head and grinned. "Hey, let me do my work here."

McGee lay back and groaned as Gibbs went back to kissing and touching him. Then that hot mouth moved down to his belly button, and McGee's cock swelled. Suddenly, he remembered Lobanoff licking his jeans, and the memory of that premature ejaculation gripped him. He raised his head in alarm. "Boss!"

Gibbs looked up and froze when he saw McGee's eyes. He climbed off McGee quickly. "I don't know what I was thinking. That bourbon certainly didn't help."

McGee sat up, breathing hard. "No, this was good...I remembered something and…this was not wrong."

Gibbs shook his head. "Wrong place, wrong time."

McGee got to his feet. "Boss!"

"See that's the problem! I'm boss!" Gibbs turned on him. "Boss can't do this."

McGee realized that his shirt was still bunched up near his chest and he pulled it down roughly. Shame flooded through him again and he brushed past Gibbs. "I'll get my stuff."

Gibbs grabbed him by the shoulders. "No way, Tim. You stay here."

McGee closed his eyes and let out breath. "I need space. I can't seem to get anything right in my life."

"Look at me. This is my fault, not yours. Tonight, you sleep. Tomorrow, we talk. Okay?"

McGee nodded.

"Tim," Gibbs hesitated for a moment, but put his hand on his face again, caressing McGee's cheek with his thumb. "You've been my fantasy for a long time. That's my problem and I just tried to make it yours. My fault."

Tim leaned into his touch. "This feels too good to be wrong and it has nothing to do with Lobanoff."

Gibbs backed away. "I wish it could be that simple."

…..

McGee couldn't find sleep. He lay in the guest bed reliving the moments of being touched and kissed by his boss. While it had been unexpected, he didn't feel shocked. There was something about it that felt like coming home. He'd always loved Gibbs, but he'd never really needed him as a father. While physical contact with Lobanoff initially had intrigued him; Gibbs' touch felt amazing, transformative. It felt natural.

Over and over, he imagined getting up and walking into Gibbs' room. He just wanted to lie down beside him and bury his face in the man's neck, drinking in his clean smell. He hoped Gibbs might whisper to him again and touch his face and eventually reach for his mouth. It was all he wanted because he couldn't yet imagine the rest.

The truth was that he didn't have the courage for such a bold move, and it was probably for the best. He still needed time to interpret this new language between the two of them. ….

Gibbs was having no better success at sleeping. All he could do what was imagine a circumstance where it would be possible to lie in bed with his youngest agent in his arms.

…

McGee showered after Gibbs, and then met him down in the kitchen for some of his dark coffee. Luckily, McGee knew to bring a cartoon of cream with him when he came to stay. For a few minutes they drank in silence, both of them weary from a night of sleeplessness.

Then Gibbs put his mug down and sighed. "McGee, I need to again assure you that nothing like that will ever happen again. I understand if this compromises your feeling of safety on the team, and I'll let you decide—"

McGee was on his feet. "I got to interrupt you here. I have spent half of the last six hours remembering what it was like to have your tongue in my mouth and the other half imagining the speech you were going to give me in the morning, and I'm not having it!"

"Excuse me." Gibbs frowned.

McGee pointed. "I know you. Someone gets too close and you pull away. You disappear out of people's lives. If you have your way, six months from now, I'll be that computer tech whose name you forgot. I deserve better than that."

"Tim, I would never—"

"Really? Ask Colonel Mann or your ex-wives. What about Director Shepherd?"

Gibbs scraped his chair back and stood. "You wait one damn minute, McGee! You don't know nearly as much as you think you do."

"You want to know what I know, Boss? I know that if I had my choice, you and I would be back on that couch tearing each other's clothes off."

Gibbs closed his eyes. "A few hours ago, you didn't even know I had those feelings for you. You can't possibly know what you feel about what happened. You've had no time to process it."

"Maybe you think that's what happened with Mitch. You don't think I can exercise good judgment."

"That's not true, Tim." Gibbs sat down again. "I'm just saying that this should never have happened."

McGee took a deep breath. "You're right. I haven't had enough time to think about this."

There was silence for a few minutes, and then Gibbs got up and put his mug in the sink. He turned and regarded McGee. "I do push people away when they get too close."

McGee nodded. "That's what I fear the most. You've been important to me a long time."

"I won't do that to you, Tim. I promise."

"Good." McGee grabbed his coat.

Gibbs brushed past him and stopped, murmuring into his ear. "Never seen you get so sassy before. I kinda' liked it."

McGee stood there for a moment, eyes wide. Gibbs was going to ensure that he forever stayed an enigma.

…

DiNozzo came into the bullpen looking even more bleary-eyed than Gibbs or McGee. He was still wearing the same clothes he'd had on the day previous. He stopped in front of his desk, but didn't sit. Then he turned to his team. "Conference room, please. Fornell is on his way."

Gibbs frowned. "What the hell have you been up to?"

Tony looked past him as the elevator door opened and Fornell came out. "Fornell's here. Conference room, please."

Then he walked past all of them down the hallway. Gibbs got up and trotted after him. Ziva and McGee looked at each other in confusion before jumping up to follow.

In the conference room, DiNozzo was pacing. Fornell stood there with his hands on his hip. "You can't keep doing this. I have people on him."

Tony turned on him, pointing a finger. "You assigned probies! I've been watching them! And I've watched Lobanoff waltz out of their grasp three times in the last two nights!"

"Sit down, Tony!" Gibbs was red in the face. "How long have you been following Lobanoff?"

"At least two nights," Fornell growled. "He keeps calling me in the middle of the night to tell me that my team has lost Lobanoff again."

"What the hell are you doing?" Gibbs said.

Tony threw his arms up. "I can't sleep. I gotta' do this because Fornell here keeps putting the junior varsity on this problem, and nobody's watching him."

Ziva sat down across from him. "We're a team, Tony. You don't do anything in isolation, especially not this."

"He's going to get McGee again. I can feel it in my bones. I know this man. I am this man."

McGee knelt beside him. "Never. Never for a moment have you ever been Mitch Lobanoff, Tony. I don't understand why you're doing this."

Tony turned to McGee and sighed. "He's coming for you, Tim. I can feel it. He's coming for you and I'm the one that can stop him."

Fornell looked at Gibbs. "I think he's getting psychotic from lack of sleep here. You gotta' do something, Jethro. I can't just put my best agents on watching Lobanoff for the foreseeable future. Nobody has the manpower for that. Reason with him for Chris' sakes."

"Tony, I can take care of myself. I'm at Gibbs. Nothing is going to happen to me. Believe me."

"I just got a really bad feeling. Can't get rid of it."

"Okay," Gibbs stood up. "Here's what's going to happen. McGee, you're going to take Tony home and stay with him while he gets some sleep. Take some work with you. Get some damn sleeping medication from Ducky or something. He needs to relax. Ziva, you and I are going to do a little recon with Uncle Toby here."

Fornell growled. "I don't like it when you call me that."

"My team is in shambles. One of them is just back on his feet after a beat down and another is a frickin' zombie. It's the most civil way I can think to address you right now. I need this FBI psycho off my people now!"

…..

McGee put down his laptop and got up to refill his coffee. Tony was sleeping off his paranoia in the bedroom with the help of two Trazadone and a Xanax. Ziva called him a few hours ago to regale with tales of Gibbs and Fornell facing off over the best approach with Lobanoff. As expected, Gibbs' solution tended to be more final than Fornell's. Fornell was sure that the courtroom was the best place to have a showdown against Lobanoff, and Gibbs was sure they'd never get that far. McGee knew a courtroom involved a very public airing of his private life, and the thought of it made him shudder.

Ziva reported that the argument ended with Fornell leaving to work on a warrant for Lobanoff's apartment and Gibbs kicking the door in the conference room before stomping off to the bullpen.

The door buzzer sounded and McGee got up to answer. An elderly woman with the last name of Harris wondered if Tony could come down and get her cat out of the tree again. McGee grinned. He'd heard stories of old Mrs. Harris and her escaping cat. He informed her that Tony was sleeping but he would be happy to stand in. Even though he was allergic to cats, he figured he could last a few minutes with a feline especially in the outdoors.

He grabbed Tony's keys and went downstairs. An elderly woman was standing outside waiting for him. He remembered Tony telling him that he usually just shimmied up to the first branch and left some tuna until Mrs. Wiggles found her way down. Then he'd scoop her up and jump down.

Mrs. Harris approached him with a grin. "Sorry to lure you out here, Mr. McGee, but your brother wanted to surprise you. Have a good day."

He looked at her in confusion as she let herself back into the building and then Lobanoff emerged from behind the tree. McGee reached for his weapon and then remembered that he left it upstairs.

Lobanoff smiled. "I just want to have a little talk. Afraid to talk to me, Tim?"

McGee stood his ground. "I didn't think a restraining order was necessary. Guess I was wrong."

"Haven't seen you since the hospital."

McGee's hand was still on his pocket. His gun was gone, but his phone was there, and being the king of all geeks he knew every function by touch. He hit return call. "What do you want, Mitch?"

"I've been thinking about you. I still remember the last time we were in your apartment. God, you gave up probably the most amazing afternoon of your sorry life when you didn't let me stay."

"I'll get over it." McGee watched Mitch as he sauntered back and forth in front of the building.

"You cost me my job and all of my credibility. All because you couldn't handle a little slap and tickle. I was doing you a favor, McGee. You have to know that the world looks at you and sees nothing but a pathetic loser."

McGee rolled his eyes. "Get to the point already."

He tilted his head and smiled. "The point is this: Before I'm done with you, you'll be on your knees begging for my cock and your life. I'm going to make you beg for both things, and I'm going to make sure the world sees it. It's not going to happen today, but I'm here because I want you to know that your destiny is to first serve me and then to die for me."

McGee let out a breath and shook his head. "You're delusional, Mitch. Up to now, I thought I was just dealing with a mean son of a bitch, but you're certifiable."

He laughed. "Let's see if that's what you'll be saying when the time comes."

An SUV pulled up and a woman honked the horn. Mitch nodded at her and then looked at McGee. "I'll be seeing you."

As he turned to leave, something in McGee snapped. He rushed Lobanoff, plowing into him, and pushing him up against the car. Ziva's training kicked in, and he punched Lobanoff in the gut and wedged his other forearm in his neck. For a moment, the two men were nose to nose, breathing hard. McGee knew he had only seconds before Lobanoff's superior strength would come into play. "Hear me now, Mitch! I won't beg! Ever! My dignity is worth more to me than my life! When the time comes, you'll lose! I promise you that!"

Lobanoff smiled. "I've been waiting to feel your hot breath on my face again, baby."

McGee backed away in disgust and Lobanoff responded with laughter. "Come here, baby. I didn't mean to scare you off."

McGee started to rush him again when he heard a familiar voice yell, "Stop!"

He turned to see Tony standing at the door to the building wearing only a pair of jeans and wielding his gun. "Lobanoff, I'll shoot you dead if you don't get in that car and get the hell out of here."

"Nice seeing you, Tony," Lobanoff drawled before he climbed into the passenger side and let his woman friend pull away from the curb.

Breathing in short bursts, McGee watched as the car disappeared around the corner.

"You okay?" He jumped when he realized Tony was next to him.

"No, Tony, I'm not okay. Why did you let him go?"

"'Cause he was trying to goad you into an assault charge. Imagine how the conversation you just had would look on a complaint form. It would sound like a couple of jealous lovers."

"I'm going to have to kill him before he kills me, aren't I?"

Tony shook his head. "We'll never let it get that far."

McGee snorted. "This from the guy who's delirious from doing surveillance on Lobanoff every night. That's not what you said this morning. Don't mess with me, Tony. This guy's a nut job. You should've heard him."

"Ziva did. She recorded the whole thing. They're on their way."

"Great! More witnesses to my humiliation!"

"Tim, come on." Tony put a hand on his shoulder but McGee pulled away.

"I'm going for a walk."

"Hey! At least let me get a shirt on."

McGee turned and pointed at him. "Alone, Tony. I see you anywhere and I'm going to kick your ass!"

"Going for a walk is a bad idea, McGee."

McGee responded with an obscene gesture as he disappeared around the corner.

"Boss is going to kill me," DiNozzo muttered before going in to get some clothes.

…

"I love that you just let him walk away," Gibbs said as he shot another glare in DiNozzo's direction.

"He needed to blow off steam by himself. I could understand the impulse," Tony said, tucking his shirt into his pants. His freshly washed hair smelled lightly of coconut. Ziva wrinkled her nose at him from where she was standing by the window.

"This is right after Lobanoff challenges him in front of your apartment."

Tony ran his fingers through his hair. "He only came to give a message."

"Which was that he plans to rape and murder McGee. So right after that, it seemed perfectly natural to you that you let him go off on his own?"

Tony sighed and leaned against the wall. "Boss, he needs to know that we think he's an agent capable of taking care of himself. You weren't there. You didn't see the look on his face. He needed space. I would've needed space too if that animal was saying crap like that to me."

"He's back," Ziva said as she watched him walk up the steps.

Tony buzzed him in, but when he opened the door to McGee, Gibbs was there, pushing him back into the hall. He turned to Tony. "I need a moment with my agent here."

Tony closed the door while Gibbs backed him into the wall, his face inches from McGee's. "You do not take off in the middle of an investigation! Do you hear me, McGee?"

"It was just a walk."

Gibbs slammed the wall next to his head. "At best, it was an indulgence; at worst, it was a tantrum, and we do not have time for it!"

McGee nodded.

"I heard what you said to him. I heard you tell him that your dignity is worth more than your life. Have I taught you nothing!" Another palm slap to the wall. "You can trash talk a dirtbag, sometimes even a scumbag, but he has clearly passed into the realm of a whackjob. We do not taunt whackjobs. Whackjobs obsess. Whackjobs are eager for a challenge, a mountain to climb. Gibbs 101."

"I know but I couldn't back down."

Gibbs moved a step closer, and McGee couldn't help but notice that their agitated breathing had fallen into one rhythm.

"Would you protect your dignity if it meant hurting your friends and family?"

McGee shook his head.

"Then your dignity is not worth your life. That is Gibbs' rule #59. Your dignity is not worth your life."

"Never knew that rule," McGee murmured as he imagined running his teeth along Gibbs' neck.

"New rule." Gibbs stared at him intently. McGee could see that softness returning to those blue eyes and he snaked his hand behind the older man's neck, ready to pull him in when a door down the hall opened.

Gibbs stepped away quickly and McGee shook his head.

Mrs. Harris emerged. "Hello Mr. McGee. Did you have a nice visit with your brother? Oh, this must be your father!"

Gibbs rolled his eyes while McGee gave her a weak smile.

….

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

13

A/N: Sorry about this being late. It's finals. Lots of grading…and it's that time of year for my depression to flare. I finally found the energy to pull this together yesterday. Thank you so much for reading and let me know what you think. Sheila

P.S. Someone asked what the title means. I picked the name Lobanoff because Lobo in Spanish means wolf. Lobanoff is a Russian name, but it still works for me. He's mistaken in thinking McGee is an easy mark. Gibbs also imagines himself a wolf as he has these illicit feelings about McGee, but then, of course, he is also mistaken. DiNozzo is a hunter much like Lobanoff is, but he's mistaken in thinking that they have anything else in common. Confusing enough for you? ;)

The Mistaken Wolf

Chapter 5

Fornell kicked the wall and threw the warrant to the floor. Lobanoff's apartment wasn't trashed as much as it was looted. Furniture was gone and the only things left in the living room were piles of dust and stray cardboard boxes. It was exactly how an apartment looks after someone has moved out but hasn't taken time to clean. Ziva disappeared into the bedroom. "All of his clothes are gone!"

Gibbs turned to Fornell, glaring hard. "He moved out right under your agents' noses."

"I noticed," Fornell responded. He turned away from Gibbs and started barking into his phone.

…..

Tony walked over with his coffee and sat down with the rest of them at the table. Fornell and Gibbs hadn't spoken to one another since the apartment complex.

"The girl across the hall was vacating and had movers come in yesterday . She must have had the movers take his stuff too. It shouldn't be too hard. We just track where she went and we find him too."

Fornell sighed and looked away. "He's going underground."

Gibbs shook his head. "Is he smart enough for all this?"

Tobias shrugged. "His file is completely unremarkable. The psych evaluation doesn't show anything. IQ test has him at above average but nothing more."

"He's like me and you." DiNozzo took a sip of his hot chocolate. He always allowed himself this sort of indulgence this time of year.

Gibbs nodded. "He's all instinct."

"Why wasn't he a better investigator then?"

Tony shrugged. "He doesn't really care about the work. He does it because he can and he needs both the money and the credibility, but what he loves to do is to hunt and dominate."

"He doesn't kill because he gets his needs met through his victims…physically, sexually, monetarily." Gibbs said.

Tobias narrowed his eyes. "So, essentially he has a harem; a group of people dedicated to meeting his needs."

"The trouble with power is that once you have it, you're never satisfied for very long. Men like Lobanoff always want more," Gibbs said.

"He's going to step up his game."

"Why McGee?"

Gibbs looked at Tony. "Tim is an attractive man. It's clear that Lobanoff is bi-sexual."

Tony shrugged. "I guess so. I figured he got targeted more because he can be so trusting."

"As it turns out, trusting is the one attribute that all of Lobanoff's marks share, including myself."

The three men turned to find Ziva and McGee.

"How did the interview go?"

McGee dragged chairs over for the two of them while Ziva started. "Mary Phillips is 34 years old. Lived across from Lobanoff for three years. Other renters state that she has had a crush on Lobanoff always. He never dated her seriously. Sometimes, he would ignore her for months until he needed something. Finally she started going to a therapist and recognized how unhealthy this was. She put her notice in to move one month ago. One of the renters saw Mary spending time with Lobanoff less than a week ago. She seemed very happy."

McGee nodded. "We talked to her sister who said that Mary was moving so that she could put distance between the two of them. She says that Mary stopped returning her phone calls about a week before the move. She came to see her two days, and Mary told her that Lobanoff had asked her to marry him. The sister got upset and left. I looked at photos. That's the same woman who was driving Lobanoff when he stopped at Tony's apartment yesterday."

"We asked her if Lobanoff ever got abusive with her sister. She said she hasn't proof of anything but she's had a very bad feeling about it. Says that her sister always shut down when she asked about it."

"Does the sister have her new address?" Tobias fumbled for his note pad.

Ziva shook her head. "The sister said that Mary was very vague about it. Said she'd tell her more once she was all moved in."

"Great!" Tony rolled his eyes. "Now we gotta' check all new move-ins for a fifty mile radius."

"100 miles is more like it."

"Or we can show up where Mary works tomorrow and have a little talk with her," Ziva said.

Tony smiled. "Now you're talking, you little Israeli genius."

"She's not going to listen to reason. I've talked to women like this before. She's going to protect with all she's got."

"This isn't our first rodeo, Tobias."

Fornell threw up his hands. "I'm just trying to help here."

"Could've used you earlier, Tobias. I'm just sayin'."

…

DiNozzo and McGee sat in the lobby of the law firm where Mary Phillips worked. She was already late by an hour.

"She's not going to show, McGee."

"Her boss says she's never missed work."

"I hope to hell he didn't…"

"Yeah, don't say it, okay. It's bad enough that I didn't see through him when he was an asshole."

"Gotta' cancel the camping trip for now."

McGee grinned. "Maybe not this weekend, but I'm going to get you out there, Tony."

Tony's cell sounded and he picked it up. "Hey Boss, we're still waiting for Mary Phillips." DiNozzo's face tightened as he listened. "We'll be there in less than thirty."

"Tony?"

Tony put his phone away. "Worst case scenario has come to life."

…

The winter air was sharp, and Ziva pulled up her collar around her neck. She stood next to Gibbs on the bridge and watched as the crane pulled the SUV out of the water. FBI forensics was there and they surrounded the waterlogged car. Fornell hovered behind them. Someone opened the driver's side door, and water streamed out around the agents' ankles. Fornell leaned over and looked inside. Then he sat back on his haunches for a moment before standing up and turning to look up at Gibbs. He nodded solemnly.

Gibbs shook his head. "The asshole just became a murderer."

….

"Why kill her?" Gibbs paced the conference room.

"He couldn't trust her," Tony replied. "Using her was a last minute decision. I suspect he couldn't sustain the patience needed to keep her placated for very long."

"Besides," Ziva said. "She could lead us to him. He couldn't risk allowing her to go work. We'd find her too easily."

Tim nodded. "So he's moved into her new apartment for the time being."

"He's not going to settle there. Lobanoff is all animal now. He'll rest there for a few days and then start hunting again," Fornell added.

"McGee, can we find that new apartment?"

Tim took a deep breath. "Within a one hundred mile radius, 5-7,000 apartments, condos, townhouses, and houses have been rented starting December 1st. There is no central database that can tell us who rented what. Landlords have to report new occupancies within the first 10 days, but this state law isn't closely regulated in Virginia or in Maryland."

"In other words, you're saying that we just start knocking on doors and hope we run into him by spring," Tony drawled.

"Mary's work colleagues said that she was very organized. It makes me wonder if she changed the address on her utilities. It would be something I might do."

Tony nodded. "Good thinking, McAnal."

McGee sighed. "Well, it's going to take a little work to run it down. Address changes still go through the U.S. mail. We're going to need to send people to sift through the change of address forms."

"I got the manpower for it, McGee. We'll get it done in a day."

McGee nodded at Fornell. Exhaustion was starting to take hold. None of them had slept much, if at all, in the last 36 hours. McGee was feeling it more than others. Lobanoff's spiral started with him, and he wondered where they would be now if he'd made different decisions about Lobanoff from the beginning.

Tony turned on the room. "When she first went apartment hunting, she didn't imagine Lobanoff being with her. She was leaving to get away from him so we need to get in her head two months ago. What would she have wanted in an apartment? Something close to work? Close to her family? A bigger apartment? Something cheaper? If we can start to narrow down her criteria, we can find it."

Gibbs stopped and nodded. "That's good work, Tony. Take Ziva and re-interview her friends and co-workers about what she might have been looking for in a new apartment."

Ziva leapt up and followed Tony out of the room. Fornell got up as well. "I'll get my people started on checking for change of address forms."

After Fornell was gone, Gibbs looked at McGee. "You need sleep."

"We all need sleep."

"You can lie down on Abby's futon."

McGee grew a ghost of a smile. "Every time I shift, Bert the hippo farts and I wake up. I'll sleep when you all sleep. Besides, I have her laptop from work. I'll go through it for any communication with Lobanoff."

Gibbs leaned against the table. "You didn't used to be this stubborn."

"I thought you liked feisty." McGee's weary eyes watched him closely.

Gibbs' mouth twitched. "Sassy. I like sassy."

"I'll work on it." McGee got up and walked up to him, stopping when he was inches from Gibbs' face. He rested a hand on the older man's chest and for a moment, his mouth tried to form for words, but then he shook his head. "I'll be in Abby's lab."

After he left, Gibbs let his hand slide over that same spot on his chest. His heart was beating as loud as a drum.

….

Tony and Ziva searched until midnight based on clues they got from Mary Phillips' friends. They rousted as many management companies as possible, but had little luck. Tony realized that they were going to get better cooperation out of people in the morning, and so he made the executive decision that they go home. By the time they got back to the Navy Yard, Ziva was snoring against the passenger window. He stopped for a moment to admire the fiery beauty. It was while sleeping that she seemed the softest to him. He wished she could find this much peace in her waking life. He reached over and picked up a wiry curl and then tugged lightly.

Ziva's head snapped up and her arms immediately assumed a defensive posture.

He chuckled. "Time to get up, Ziva."

"You pulled my hair."

"I tugged lightly."

"There are better ways to wake a person."

"Yes and I've tried them all over the years. Each one seems to result with my life passing before my eyes. Besides, I like playing with your hair."

She rolled her eyes. "When you are this tired, you get all dreamy and touchy-feely. You tend to forget yourself."

"Whatever. All I know is that I'm about to fall asleep right in your lap." He feigned falling forward while she scrambled to get out the door. He smiled as he watched her walk away with her long ponytail swinging from side to side.

….

McGee looked up from his work to find Gibbs standing at the doorway. "Where's Abby?"

Tim nodded toward the futon. Abby was curled up around Bert.

"Are you finding anything?"

McGee shook his head. "I was just about to put it away."

"Let's go."

McGee logged the laptop back into evidence and followed Gibbs out. He was surprised when Gibbs led him out back and they got into one of the sedans. "You worried he's going to follow us?"

Gibbs shook his head. "It wouldn't be too hard to figure out where I lived. I grabbed your "Go" bag and mine. I've got a place we can sleep for the night. Won't have to watch our backs."

McGee gave him an odd look, but didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he leaned his head against the window and let his eyes close.

…..

DiNozzo got out of the car at the Jefferson Estates. It was an apartment complex that Mary had heard about from a friend months earlier. It was on the way home so Tony thought he would stop and get a look around. It seemed futile but like Lobanoff, Tony was a hunter and his instincts brought him here.

…

Gibbs led him into a rather nice boutique hotel. The man had the desk had a key ready for him. McGee got into the elevator with him. Gibbs gestured at the key. "An old Marine buddy manages this hotel. It's only 10 minutes from the Navy Yard so occasionally, I stop if I need a few hours….Ah, it's a suite…There should be a couple of beds."

McGee nodded, his eyes never leaving Gibbs. In the room, he took the bed Gibbs pointed out for him, and started to get undressed. His breathing had quickened and his exhaustion had been replaced with a fire in his gut.

Stripped down to his boxers, he stared down at the crisply made hotel bed. He needed rest but the bed held no comfort for him. He took a deep breath and backed away. Then he headed out into the sitting room. Gibbs was still there, staring out the window.

McGee stood in the doorway, his breath falling heavy on his chest. Gibbs turned. "Tim?"

McGee shivered slightly but started moving toward him.

"You can't know."

"You're wrong. I do know," McGee whispered.

Gibbs stared at the young man so long and lean, his chest as clean as a boy's. When he was close enough, Gibbs reached out and ran his fingers down McGee's bare chest. "We're too tired. Not thinking."

"Tony always tells me I think too much. Maybe he's got a point." McGee slid his long arms around Gibbs' waist and buried his face in the crook of his neck.

Gibbs closed his eyes and let his hands slide down McGee's back. One hand made purchase on the younger man's tight ass, while the other slid down to the back of McGee's thigh and hooked the back of his knee, pulling the leg up and pushing their groins together. McGee moaned into his neck.

"You sure about this?" Gibbs whispered into his ear.

McGee responded by biting him none too gently on the nape of his neck.

Gibbs pulled his agent's face up and countered with a crushing assault on his mouth. McGee found himself pushed up against the wall while Gibbs probed and bit and sucked on his mouth.

McGee needed a project and his long fingers found the zipper to Gibbs' pants. Gibbs pulled away from McGee's mouth momentarily. "We need a bed, McGee."

McGee turned and started to lead the way when Gibbs came up behind him, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist and pulling McGee's ass into his groin. He breathed heavily into McGee's neck. "I'm going to make you feel so amazing."

"I want everything." McGee leaned back and ground his ass into Gibbs.

…..

DiNozzo caught a break. Somebody coming outside for a smoke remembered a woman and her boyfriend moving in the previous day. Tony pulled out a picture of Mary Phillips and then one of Lobanoff. The smoker stood next to the light of the entryway and studied the pictures. Mary he couldn't identify, but he shook his head when he saw Lobanoff. "That's him. He kept barking at her that she wasn't working hard enough. I think she brought more stuff than he did. He was really impatient with her."

"What apartment number?"

"112."

Tony stepped back and looked at the building. "Each ground floor apartment has a screen door and a little patio."

"Yeah. The one for 112 is on the other side of the building."

Tony thanked him and pulled his weapon. A probie would call for backup, but an experienced senior agent does enough reconnaissance to formulate a plan before backup even arrives. He turned the corner and saw patio lights still on for a few of the apartments. Moving sideways, he opened his senses to his environment. He counted the patios until he found the one for 112. The light was out and he circled it carefully. Each patio was separated by a concrete divider on each side. He figured that agents could take positions behind them while he and his team flushed him out from the front.

Having worked it out in his head, he backed away silently. Suddenly he saw movement to this left, but as he whirled to confront it, a foot slammed into his gun hand, and something hot plunged into his gut.

…..

McGee nudged his knee in between Gibbs' naked thighs. Gibbs grunted. "Sure you're not tired yet?"

McGee didn't respond. Extraordinary things were happening to him, and he could barely process it all. Leroy Jethro Gibbs had just spent 20 minutes sucking his cock and it had felt otherworldly. All memories of his exhaustion were left far behind.

Now he crawled between Gibbs' spread legs and started his tongue at his belly button. Gibbs raised his head. "Tim, there's no competition. You don't have to learn everything in one night."

Tim's tongue trailed down his pubic bush and onto his cock. Lifting Gibbs' shaft gently, he licked him from his balls to the tip of his penis. Gibbs gripped the bedsheets and moaned.

"I'm going to swirl my tongue around the tip like you showed me," Tim narrated. "And then I'm going to drop my mouth on it and suck it as deeply as I can."

Pre-cum erupted from the tip. McGee looked up and smiled. "Look. It likes it when I talk to it."

"You're killing me here," Gibbs groaned as McGee lowered his head and did exactly as he promised.

…..

Lobanoff propped him up against the patio wall after securing his mouth with a piece of duct tape. Then he sat across from him on the patio cross-legged, holding DiNozzo's gun in his lap. The late night air was cool and the sounds of crickets filled the air.

Lobanoff nudged him with a foot. "Stay awake. I just to talk to you a little before you die."

Tony moaned and tried to look away.

"I was hoping for a few days of rest, but you screwed that for me, Tony. Do you have any idea how exhausting it is hide?"

Tony listed to the right. There was a lot of blood oozing from the knife wound in his side.

"We could've been friends, you and I. In many ways, we're so much alike, but you always thought you were superior."

Tony started drifting off. Lobanoff shook him with his foot again. "Just a few more minutes. I'm sort of between friends right now and you'll have to do. I heard that you pulled Mary out of the river. I had counted on her not being found for at least another week. You guys are way ahead of the curve. It was not what I was expecting."

With a thud, Tony's lean turned into a fall and he landed on his right side. He still watched Lobanoff, his eyes wet from the pain in his side.

"I'm going to have to run. I have money and a fake identity. I'm good with people so I won't have any trouble getting established elsewhere."

Lobanoff leaned forward, staring at Tony intently. "I want you to know that before I go, I'm going to find McGee and I'm going to rape him and make him beg for his life and then I'm going to kill him. The need to do that is just too strong in me. If you believe in God, then maybe the two of you will be reunited in the afterlife. Does that comfort you?"

Tony moaned into the duct tape.

"Don't worry. I'm going to stay with you until you're gone. I don't want you to die alone."

….

Gibbs' arms hugged McGee tightly as he spooned him from behind. There was so many new sensations. The strength and the authority of another man's touch. Orgasms that pulsed through him like electric shockwaves. The freedom to express his passion fully.

"You okay?" Gibbs whispered into his neck.

McGee nodded.

"Look at me." Gibbs shifted so that McGee could face him.

Gibbs traced the fullness of McGee's mouth with his thumb. "Was the right thing?"

"It was only thing to do, Boss."

"Hey Tim, I can't be boss in the bedroom."

McGee's brow furrowed. "Jethro is my dog's name."

"Hey, it doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother him."

McGee smiled as he pushed Gibbs onto his back. "Alright then. I'm going to need to practice."

"Oh Tim, I'm exhausted."

"That's okay," McGee said as he began to caress and kiss Gibbs' chest. "You go to sleep."

Gibbs leaned back and relaxed as McGee kissed his body, whispering Jethro with each kiss. He reached down and lost his fingers in McGee's sandy brown hair. In all of the fantasies he'd allowed himself over the years, none of them came close to describing the beauty of what he'd experienced over the last few hours.

…..

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry for the late chapter. I was a total idiot in regards to the SeSa on NFA, and had to put together a story at the last minute. Lobanoff is up to his old tricks, and our FBI friend is an unlikely savior. Let me know what you're thinking. Sheila

The Mistaken Wolf

Chapter 6

Fornell parked in the lot under the light. He could see DiNozzo's car, but the NCIS agent wasn't anywhere. It was 2 a.m. and he had to hunt DiNozzo of all people to get the grid search map he and Ziva had made. He'd called several times, but DiNozzo's phone kept going to voicemail. He woke Ziva, but she didn't have the map. Finally, he got Abby sleeping in her lab. She did a GPS search for him.

Fornell had some choice words for Tony. Their relationship had always been strained, but ignoring phone calls in the middle of an investigation was unforgiveable. He knew the man was angry that the FBI had made so many mis-steps with Lobanoff, but that was no excuse. He was tempted to file a complaint. First, he was going to find that hothead and give him an ass-kicking FBI style.

The complex was pretty tacky on the outside designed for young professionals in their first jobs. No doorman. Cheap looking patios for first floor residents with concrete partitions. Fornell looked over the setup and was left with a bad feeling. Even DiNozzo wouldn't do an apartment search without backup.

He heard something that sounded like a voice from behind the building. Pulling his weapon, he flattened himself against the corner and looked around. In the darkness, he could only make out what looked like a hunched form.

"DiNozzo!" he barked.

The form straightened up, looked his direction, and then started running away. Fornell ran after him, his trenchcoat flapping. DiNozzo could do a lot of things, but running away from Fornell wasn't one of them. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a body on the ground. Sharp instincts told him that this was why DiNozzo didn't answer his phone. Fornell stopped, aimed at the retreating figure, and fired three times. The figure quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Fornell cursed and then ran over to Tony. He was lying on his side against a concrete partition, eyes closed. "Come on, DiNozzo! Stay with me, boy."

Fornell took off his coat, and immediately spotted the outline of a blade. Years of training taught him to never pull out a blade. That was for professionals. He lifted Tony's head and slipped the coat underneath. The most he could do right now was treat the shock. He heard movement behind him and turned to find a man standing in his pajamas. "Call 911!" he barked.

"What the hell?"

"Man down! Stabbed! Bleeding out! Hurry! And get me some light!"

There was a scarf still around his neck so he pulled it off and carefully wrapped it around the blade, careful not to disturb it. Then he realized he'd never even checked for a pulse. He snorted. It never dawned him that DiNozzo wouldn't still be fighting for his life. Tony's wrists were cold and he couldn't find anything. Panic shot through his body while he turned to the neck and sought the carotid. He let out breath when he felt faint movement under his fingers.

Light flooded the patio, and Fornell realized that the man had wakened the inhabitants of the apartment. A man and a woman in t-shirts pressed their faces against the glass. He gestured at them angrily. The man slid open the glass.

"I need blankets. Please. Bring me blankets. Bring me towels."

The woman disappeared, and soon blankets and towels were fed through the glass door. The man tried to step out to help, but Fornell put up a hand. "It's a crime scene. Best thing you can do is to make sure no one tramples this area until the FBI gets here."

The man nodded and stepped back in. Tobias leaned in to Tony's face. "Hey DiNozzo, it's your archenemy, Fornell. Listen to me, boy. Gibbs isn't here, but I have a message from him. He says you have to fight, no matter what. He says that you're the closest thing to a son he's ever had, and it would break…literally break his heart into pieces if he ever lost you. "Do you hear me, boy? You know him. He'll won't stand for this. You keep breathing, Tony. "

He heard sirens in the background and he sighed. "Hear that, Tony? Help's coming. It's a good thing too because we certainly can't rely on old Tobias to hold this circus together all by himself. We're going to get you on a bus and off to Bethesda. You only have one job now. Breathe, Tony. Just breathe."

….

Twenty minutes later, Fornell stood coatless in the crisp winter air while EMT's loaded DiNozzo into an ambulance. Two Metro squads had shown, and he sent them out to search the wooded area behind the complex. It was only five minutes ago that he'd even remembered to call his own people.

"What happened?"

He turned to find Ziva running toward him. "Tony's not answering his phone. What's happened?"

Her eyes were on the ambulance when Fornell caught her by the shoulders. "Lobanoff stabbed him. Get in the bus with him. He's bad. I gotta' stay and coordinate a search."

He felt a shiver run through her body. Without a word, she wrenched out of his grasp and ran toward the ambulance just as they were closing their doors.

…..

Gibbs dropped his cell on the bed and scrambled off the bed. McGee sat up in confusion. "What?"

"Lobanoff got Tony."

Without another word, Gibbs zipped his pants and went in search of his shirt. McGee stared after him, blinking hard.

…..

Ziva ran into McGee's arms at full speed when they entered the emergency room. Her hair was wild and her face a mess of tears and snot. He held her. "He's not dead, Ziva. Tell me he's not dead."

She clung to him tightly as she shook her head in his neck. "They're working on him."

McGee looked around but Gibbs had disappeared. He saw the bay where Tony was, but the curtains were drawn. Nurses ran in and out. Below the curtains, he saw bloody gauze bandages accumulating on the ground. "What happened, Ziva?"

She pulled her head away and looked at him with puffy, red eyes. "He was supposed to go home, but being a pig-headed dummy, he stopped at one more apartment complex. I didn't know. I never would've let him go alone. I promise you. I would've had his back."

"Not your fault, Ziva."

She pushed hair out of her eyes. "We were supposed to be sleeping."

It hit McGee's gut like an accusation. The break from the investigation was for sleep. Not for continuing to investigate and certainly not for bedding your boss. While he'd been making love with Gibbs, Tony had been fighting to survive. Bile rose in his throat and he started gagging. He pulled away from Ziva and ran outside, vomiting onto the sidewalk. Ziva followed him out. "Tim?"

"We were supposed to be sleeping, Ziva! I'm the one that should've had his back."

"Lobanoff is not your fault."

McGee shook his head. "You have no idea what's my fault and what's not."

McGee?" Ziva started to reach for him but he pulled away.

"If you only knew. I was the naïve idiot who let him into my life! Not only that but last night, we were supposed to be sleeping. Nothing else. Just sleeping!"

"I should've known that Tony wouldn't stop looking. I know—"

"Enough!" Both of them turned to find Gibbs standing there, red-faced. "Not another word about blame out of either of you. Tony broke protocol, pure and simple. He's done it before, and I never came down on him hard enough. That's my fault. None of us made wrong decisions. None of us! We all just get through the day the best we can. And some of us, like Tony, break rules. And some of us…find comfort…at unexpected times."

He was staring at McGee when he made that last statement. "A surgeon wants to talk to the family. We qualify. Come on."

McGee put his arm around Ziva's shoulders and followed.

….

The surgeon was short and swarthy, and wearing green scrubs. "CAT scan shows the knife pierced his spleen and maybe his stomach. We have to go in before he bleeds to death."

McGee winced. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Not looking good. Blood pressure is lousy. Heart rate is thready. Under normal circumstances, we'd never go in with him this unstable, but we know he'll die if we don't try. If there is biological family out there, I suggest you find them."

"I'm his proxy." Gibbs said.

Surgeon nodded. "What's the word?"

"Do it."

The surgeon turned on his heel and left. McGee put his arm around Ziva on the couch. She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. Gibbs sat in a chair across from them. The exhaustion of the last few days and the intensity of last couple of hours combined, and within minutes, Ziva's tortured breathing deepened into sleep. McGee cleared his throat. "I can call Ducky and Abby if you'd like."

"Already did it. Ducky'll pick up Abby. We can't have her careening on the highways in her hearse while she's upset."

McGee nodded. "I'll try to reach Senior."

Gibbs sighed. "Good. Fornell is still out at the complex conducting a grid search."

McGee smiled softly. "You need to be out there. It's what you do. Sitting and waiting is no good for you."

"You'll really have your hands full once Abby gets here."

"It's okay. Ducky'll be here and I'm sure Jimmy's on his way."

Gibbs leaned forward, looking down at the ground for a moment before facing Tim. "Nobody did anything wrong tonight. You hear me, Tim?"

McGee nodded.

Gibbs got up and turned at the door. "You'll call me."

"The minute we know anything. And as soon as Tony's out of surgery, Ziva and I will be out there with you."

He nodded and then disappeared.

Tim rested his chin on the top of Ziva's head and whispered. "I'm so sorry, Tony. I'm so terribly sorry."

….

Fornell found a FBI jacket in the back of a car that was two sizes too big for him. He'd pulled out all the stops and had teams searched neighborhoods two miles in all directions. A junior agent came up and told him that the couple with the bloody blankets and towels were asking for some kind of reimbursement. He wasn't annoyed with the question. He was merely grateful for their willingness to provide him with what he needed as fast as they did. Fornell knew that a request like that for go through myriad levels of bureaucracy, and he'd have to fill out about six different forms so he pulled out his checkbook and wrote them a personal check for $300 and gave it to the agent to deliver.

Gibbs showed up as expected. He sidled up next to Fornell. "That jacket's going to swallow you up."

Fornell grinned. "Ya' got news on the kid."

"He's in surgery."

"He's a tough son of a bitch, Jethro."

"I'm not going to forget what you did."

Fornell nodded. "Wait 'til he finds out I was the one doing the first aid."

"As soon as he's on his feet, I'm going to kick his ass across the Potomac for breaking protocol. Then I'm going to send him back to FLETC for a class on search procedures."

"Not going to help. Boy's brain is wired funny. You oughta' know. Yours is wired the same way."

Gibbs sighed. "I know. I teach 'em bad habits."

"Don't go there, Jethro. We don't have time for it."

"You're right."

An agent came running up to them. "We got news. Found a badly injured man on the highway about a mile to the west."

"It's not Lobanoff?"

Agent shook his head. "Agents on the scene think he was driving a car. He isn't dressed for the weather. They're thinking he might've stopped for someone on the side of the road. He's got a nasty head injury. Car's gone."

"Got an ID on him?"

"Wallet's gone."

"Print him! We have to find out what kind of car he was driving. Lobanoff knows he has to dump it soon. We could have another injured or dead civilian in the next couple of hours if we don't get ahead of this guy!"

Agent turned and ran back to the grid map they'd set up in the apartment complex's party room.

"Why didn't Lobanoff dump the man in the trunk? It would've showed us down. We wouldn't have even know about him for a couple of days at least."

Fornell shook his head. "Lobanoff's not smart. Just savage. It's like hunting an escaped tiger. Smartest thing will be to take him down with the biggest rifle we got."

"When the time comes, I'm first in line, Tobias."

….

"Hey darlin', can you pour me another?"

She tipped the whiskey bottle into his glass. "Long day."

He shook his head. "You have no idea, pretty lady."

She ignored him. Men stopped calling her that about 25 lbs. ago.

"Say you don't know where a man can find a decent all night diner. Eggs, bacon, and pancakes would really hit the spot."

"The Town Talk diner is about two miles west on Brighton Blvd."

"What time do you get off, gorgeous?"

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "You're laying it on a little thick, don't you think?"

"Sorry Ma'am, I am a visitor here. Live in Tulsa. Back home, we express appreciation when we feel it."

She smiled. Maybe they did like their women a little thicker in Oklahoma. She had no idea, but the attention was beginning to feel good. The cowboy looked a little worse for wear, but he was definitely a handsome devil. "My name is Holly. What's yours, Cowboy?"

He extended a hand. "I'm Mitch. As soon as you're done, I'll take you down to the Town Talk, and we'll have a big ol' rancher's breakfast. What do you say?"

She blushed and then poured him another shot of whiskey on the house.

…

McGee now had Ziva on one shoulder and Abby on another. More than anything, he wanted to be up, pacing, getting information, and getting out into the field with Gibbs and Fornell. But as the resident teddy bear on the team, he had his hands full.

Ducky and Jimmy had gotten into the observation room above the operating theatre, and McGee hadn't seen either of them for an hour. Ziva lifted her head off his chest. "All of this crying is humiliating. I'm getting soft."

He wanted to tell her she wasn't getting soft, she was just getting human, but he stopped himself. He watched her as she stood and stretched. She was built almost like a gymnast, petite but strong. She stretched her arms toward the ceiling, standing on her toes. She grabbed the unruly mass of hair on her head and wrestled it into a ponytail. Then she turned and headed for the bathroom. Ziva had found a space inside herself to temporarily store her fears and she was ready to take on the world again.

McGee wanted to join her, but Abby clung to him like a frightened child. He stroked her head. "Abs, surgery's going to be over soon, and whatever the outcome, you and I are going to have to go back to work. Nobody can do what you do the way you do it. We gotta' catch him and put him away for good. Are you ready to do that?"

She nodded at him. "We're going to crush him, Timmy."

He smiled. "That's my girl."

He spotted Ducky and Jimmy coming down the hall with the surgeon. He pushed Abby. "Go get Ziva."

Abby's eyes widened and she jumped up, running down the hall. McGee watched their stride, trying to read the truth in their body language, but all he could confirm was their exhaustion. Abby and Ziva tumbled out of the bathroom, and stood there like statues, waiting. Tim stood up.

Ducky nodded as they approached. "Tony's still with us."

McGee's legs felt weak, and he was glad that Abby tackled Ducky instead of him.

"How is he?" Ziva asked, her eyes blurring.

The surgeon rubbed the back of his neck. "He's lost a lot of blood, but he was a real hero in there. I can tell he's a fighter. The next 24 hours are crucial though."

McGee stepped forward. "What now?"

"He's in ICU. We have to limit visitors. He needs rest."

"Can Ziva stay with him?"

Everyone including Ziva looked at McGee in surprise.

Surgeon nodded. "As long as she doesn't stress him. The truth is that a caring presence will undoubtedly help his recovery."

"Then it's decided." McGee felt strength grow within him.

Ziva looked at him. "McGee, we have a case to work."

"He needs you. He loves you and you love him, and it's been that way for a really long time. When I was in that car crash, my mother stayed with me constantly. I knew it. I could feel it even when I wasn't conscious. He needs you to remind him of everything he has in this life."

"Timothy's right, Ziva," Ducky added. "Jimmy and I will stay as well, but you probably have the closest to what we might call a psychic connection."

Ziva blinked. "I have never been the nurturer before. Not like this."

Abby kissed her forehead. "You'll do fine. Be fierce. Tell him you'll kick ass if he doesn't wake up."

McGee nodded. "Tell him that his probie's going to get his desk if he can't pull himself together."

Ziva threw up her hands. "I want to catch Lobanoff and put my hands around his neck and squeeze the life out of him."

Ducky put his arm around her. "When they catch him, I'm sure they'll let you take a shot or two at him. I'll tell Jethro it would be therapeutic. In the meantime, we need to head down to ICU and get Tony back on his feet."

"McGee is not the boss of me, Ducky."

"That was surprising, wasn't it? I rather liked it. I think he wears it well."

…

Lobanoff pulled the money box out of the back of her closet. Inside, he found $3,000 in tip money stacked in neat bills. He smiled. Choosing a bartender had been an excellent idea. He looked back at her on the bed lying spread eagle, her eyes wide open, and her neck twisted unnaturally. She'd been an easy lay, and when he got rough, she gave up her money stash quickly.

He didn't feel like a serial killer though. Killing her had been a necessary evil. He felt no rush, no release. He didn't need killing. It was only out of necessity that he killed her. It had been the same with Mary before her. The only killing he had actively enjoyed was DiNozzo. Another alpha male. He'd expected more fight out of Tony, but the element of surprise had been in his favor. There was another person he would enjoy killing. The thought of it consumed it.

He pulled a cell phone out of his jacket. He couldn't use his own, and if he used hers, they would trace his current location, but he did think to steal the phone off the guy who'd stopped to help him on the side of the road. He would use it for one text and then he'd toss it. He knew this number well. He'd texted it already so many times. He typed in the message and then smiled. It was both provocative and outrageous. Finished, he took the phone, turned it off and threw it at the wall.

Then he turned his attention to Holly. He needed sleep and she only had one bed. He tied the sheets around her body and pulled her off the bed. Then he dragged her to her closet and rolled her body inside. He closed the door, and lined the bottom with a towel to help keep the smell at bay. Then he dropped onto the bed, grabbed the one clean pillow and closed his eyes.

…..

"I loved watching DiNozzo die for you. And there was Mary before him. All because of you. A man with no name died a few hours ago because of you. Now, there is a woman named Polly who stopped breathing ten minutes ago because of you. All because you refused to finish what you started. Are you ready to finish what you started?"

McGee stared at the text for a solid minute before he initiated the trace. The phone belonged to the man who'd picked up Lobanoff. This same man was now lying in a coma. Tony was in ICU. Mary was pulled out of a river two days ago, and now there was a woman named Polly who lost her life just minutes earlier. He shuddered.

The phone was turned off now, and undoubtedly, Lobanoff wouldn't use it again. Reluctantly, he sent the message to his computer, and then put it up on the big screen. Fornell and Gibbs stopped talking when they saw it. McGee knew he should've said something minutes earlier, but he felt like the only sound he could make right now was a strangled one.

"How long ago?" Gibbs said, reaching for a phone.

"A few minutes," he muttered. "He used the highway guy's phone. It's turned off now. New victim."

Fornell nodded. "Time to go public. Stupid jerk-off isn't careful. We'll send out a message on all local news stations 100 miles in every direction that will have people checking on loved ones named Polly. We'll urge people to only attempt contacting her by phone. We'll set up a hotline. If their Polly isn't reachable, we'll send in a team. Probably find him sleeping in some poor woman's bed."

"Interesting strategy, Tobias, but I bet you dollars to donuts that he's lying about her name. You'll have 30 hysterical mothers on the hotline within an hour."

Fornell shook his head. "We use McGee."

Gibbs frowned. "Yeah. Great idea. We'll tie him up outside for a few days, and see if Lobanoff shows."

McGee shook his head. "We'll do what we have to. Use me as bait. Let's get this thing done."

"I don't like it."

McGee shrugged. "What's not to like. I started this whole thing. I'll end it."

"Tim, we have to think this through."

McGee pulled off his badge. "I'm not taking orders on this. I'm a free man. I'll do what's necessary."

"Elevator. Now!"

McGee tried to ignore him, but Gibbs grabbed his arm and pushed him forward. Reluctantly, he allowed Gibbs to steer him inside. This time when Gibbs hit emergency stop, he also hit lights. The two of them were plunged into darkness.

"He killed a woman just minutes ago. We have to stop him," hissed McGee.

Gibbs pushed him into the corner, his body on top of McGee's. He grabbed the young man's face with his hands. "You're spiraling out of control, Tim. You're not thinking."

"The dots all connect. It's circle. At the beginning, it was me and Lobanoff. At the end, it has to be the two of us again."

Gibbs breathed hard into his face. "I get it. I know that there's no way to undo what happened between the two of you, but we're not rushing headlong. It took you several minutes to tell me about that text, and I was standing ten feet away from you. You're starting to freelance and I won't have it."

"I want him. More than anything else, I want to see him dead. I'll do anything to make that happen. I'll sacrifice myself. My choice."

Gibbs pressed his mouth to McGee's cheek. "Idiot! Do you think you're a roll in the hay for me? If you do, then you don't understand anything. You're not disposable. Not for me. Not for Tony or Abby or Ziva."

McGee struggled, groaning his frustration. "You and I…we fucked while Tony was bleeding to death."

Gibbs held on tightly. "We made love, Tim. Tony wouldn't begrudge us that. Nor would you if he was making love to Ziva when you needed him."

McGee stopped struggling and went limp. "People are dying, Jethro. They're dying because he's angry with me."

"They're dying because he's a wicked beast. You didn't start anything. You just happened to be the one he couldn't break."

He tried to swallow a sob. "We have to end this."

"I know, Tim." Gibbs felt the moisture on McGee's face and kissed his wet cheeks softly. "I know."

…

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Happy New Year to you all! Things are getting intense for our heroes. Please let me know what you think. Sheila

The Mistaken Wolf

Chapter 7

He opened his eyes and surveyed the room. He couldn't make out more than just a clean white ceiling with industrial lighting. It took a few more moments of orienting himself to remember what had happened. His breathing quickened as he thought about Lobanoff looking down at him, talking to him about his impending death. It dawned on him that Lobanoff might still in control and he tried to jerk upward.

Pain shot up from his gut, and he cried out. A head appeared and he found himself staring into Ziva's chocolate brown eyes.

She grabbed his face in her hands and began whispering to him softly. He frowned, not comprehending until she realized she was talking in Hebrew. She stopped, smiled, and then kissed him softly on the cheek. "You're awake, ahuvi sheli."

"Ziva?"

"Shhh. Just rest, Tony."

He focused on breathing for a few moments as he watched her closely. She stroked his face, and he found it reminded him of something his mother used to do. It felt amazing.

She leaned in. "Do you remember Lobanoff?"

He nodded at her.

"He got away. The FBI is working with Gibbs and McGee. They're pulling out all the mops to find him."

Tony grinned and she wrinkled her nose. "I said it wrong, didn't I?"

He shrugged. "Did you find me?"

"No, I am not your hero."

"Who?"

"I think it should be a surprise, ahuvi sheli."

"What is that phrase you keep using?"

"A nickname, nothing more. I need a few minutes to call Gibbs so that everyone can know you're awake."

He grabbed her wrist. "He's deadly and he wants McGee. He wants to-"

She nodded. "Don't say it, Tony. Gibbs won't let him near McGee."

His face clouded and his breathing deepened. She stopped. "Tony, it's going to be okay."

"He's an animal."

"We've hunted animals before."

He still looked troubled. She patted his cheek. "I'll be right back, ahuvi sheli."

"I'm going to look up what that means!" He called out as she disappeared out the door.

….

Lobanoff let the hot water in the shower run over his finely toned body long after he finished washing. Once his ride showed, he imagined it would be days before he would find rest and relaxation again. He'd slept well into the morning. When he got up, he almost forgot there was a dead woman in the closet, but then the foul, distinct smell hit him. He closed the door to the bedroom and proceeded to eat leftovers from her refrigerator and freezer.

The phone on the sink buzzed and he stepped out of the shower. He picked up the phone and told the caller to wait outside. He dressed, used her hair gel, toothbrush, and toothpaste before heading out the door.

He climbed into the car and ignored the driver whose hands were clearly trembling on the steering wheel.

"Where do you want to go?" The driver said.

"Just drive."

"No! Your face is all over the TV. I'm not going anywhere until I know where you want to go."

Lobanoff grabbed the man's chin and turned the man's face toward his. "Drive! If I get caught, I'll tell them everything. And everything includes the fraud investigation you were involved in where I chose not to share certain details of your involvement."

"I don't care!" The man yelled.

Lobanoff clutched the man's throat with one hand, holding the man's hands with his other. The man whimpered and choked while Lobanoff squeezed. Lobanoff let go and the man leaned into the wheel, choking wildly. Lobanoff unzipped his pants and pulled out his cock. Then he grabbed the hair on the back of the man's head and dragged his face down into his lap. "I'll show you exactly who's in charge here."

…

McGee worked feverishly at his computer. They'd found the car Lobanoff had stolen, but lost his trail there. Had he walked away? Carjacked another car? Hijacked his way back into the city? Taken a bus? The FBI had established a radius, and he was trying to picture what Lobanoff did once he left that car. He hypothesized that Lobanoff left the scene on foot. He thought about what businesses would have been open at 2 a.m. He'd compiled a list of 37 businesses in a 2 mile radius, and was trying to contact people who were working at that time.

Gibbs came into the bullpen and leaned over him. McGee closed his eyes for a moment as Gibbs' essence enveloped him. For a moment, he imagined himself back in bed with him experiencing sensations he never imagined possible. It felt otherworldly as if it had never really happened. He shook his head to dispel those images and continued typing.

"Anything?"

He shook his head. "Sorry Boss."

"Keep working."

"How's Tony?"

"Ziva says he's good. He wants to see us."

McGee stopped typing.

"We have to take a break at some point."

"I won't know what to say to him."

"Look at me, Tim."

McGee froze.

"Come on. Look at me."

Tim took a deep breath and looked up at him.

"We're catching a serial killer who would've been a killer whether you had been there or not."

"You're sure about that?"

"He needed a trigger. That's all. Fornell knew he was one of the bad ones the first time he met him, and he hadn't killed a single person then."

"I was his trigger."

"Yup. You were. His trigger was always going to be the person who dared stand up to him. You didn't know that he was that person because there was no way to know that."

McGee swallowed. "Logic works with me, Boss."

Gibbs touched his shoulder. "Good. You shouldn't burden yourself with this. You don't deserve it and frankly, we don't have time for it."

"I should visit Tony later."

"We'll visit him. You don't go anywhere without me. He wants you, Tim. I don't think he's going to leave the city until he has you."

A shiver ran through McGee but he focused on his computer screen again, shutting off his mind to the titillating images of Gibbs touching him.

…

Tony frowned as his sleepy eyes adjusted to the face above his. None of his team was bald. Then he recognized Fornell's distinctive features and he tensed. "What happened? Did he get McGee?"

Fornell shook his head. "Everyone's okay."

"He didn't say anything too compelling. Not much to share."

"Hey, I just stopped by to see how you were doing."

"Really? When did we become good friends?"

The door behind them opened and Ziva came in. She leaned over and kissed Fornell on the cheek. "I haven't had a chance to say thank you."

Tony screwed up his face. "What did he do? Has Lobanoff been caught?"

Fornell shrugged. "I could've caught him if I hadn't been so busy trying to keep you alive."

"What? You found me?"

"Had to let him go 'cause you were bleeding to death on someone's patio."

"You kept me alive."

"Had to. I would've had to answer to Gibbs otherwise."

"How did you know? I don't understand."

"Don't worry about it. It was just lucky. Just like it was lucky he stabbed a stubborn bastard like you. You just wouldn't give up."

"Thank God for that," Ziva said.

Tony reached out and shook Fornell's hand. "Thanks man. I appreciate it, Fornell."

Fornell winked at Ziva. "Should we tell him about the mouth to mouth?"

DiNozzo winced. "I don't want to know that."

"You were breathing, DiNozzo. Neither one of us has to live with that particular visual. Alright, I gotta' go. Manhunt can't wait."

Tony attempted to lean on his elbow, but pain and Ziva stopped him. "You keep an eye on McGee. You hear me, Fornell?"

"Loud and clear."

"Gibbs isn't going to let him out of his sight. Don't worry about him. Just worry about yourself. We got two agents and an Israeli on you just in case he wants to finish what he started."

When Fornell was gone, Tony eyed Ziva. "So you're hanging out because you have to."

She shrugged. "Part of the job."

"Google translator tells me that ahuvi sheli means my beloved. You sweet on me, you little minx?"

She looked away. "You have your moments, Tony."

"Sit down here and tell me about one or two of those moments." Tony took her hand and held it over his chest. Her face reddened but she didn't pull away.

….

Gibbs glared at Fornell. "I don't want them in my house."

"They're here to help, Jethro."

Gibbs looked past him at George Duggar and his men. "Your boy, Lobanoff, stuck a knife in my agent. He's lucky to be alive. I got another agent who was slandered by your agents, and now his life is in danger because Lobanoff wants to finish what he started. None of this would be happening if you and your people hadn't protected that asshole and let him get away with too much. You're not welcome here."

Duggar sighed. "I get it. I would feel the same way, but we're the ones that were with him day to day. Lobanoff gets people to do his bidding. He's probably got people helping him now. My guys spent the most time with him. They've been coming up names, people he might reach out to."

Gibbs nodded. "That's good, but you didn't have to come here to give us names."

Duggar shook his head. "You're a damned hardhead, Gibbs. We got something else. A couple of my guys think he went easy on suspects sometimes. Didn't really dig for information. We think he was holding information and using that to blackmail them. We got files, and are going through them to identify a list of suspects and witnesses that Lobanoff interacted with where he might've cut corners. We need to work with you guys to get this done right."

McGee had wandered over when he saw Gibbs stiffen. He heard Duggar's offer and stepped forward. "We can set you up in conference room B."

Duggar nodded. "You're McGee, aren't you?"

He nodded.

"We're damned sorry. It's a brave thing you did, not backing down. I'm sorry we didn't stop him before this all started."

McGee looked down. "I imagine we'd all change decisions we made if we could. Just glad to have the help."

"Gibbs was right. There's nothing average about you, McGee."

Tim blushed and gestured for them to follow. Fornell watched them go and turned to Gibbs. "You could learn something from that boy."

…

Lobanoff looked down at the man he'd chained to the radiator. The man looked back at him, his eyes pleading. The man was naked with underwear stuffed in his mouth and held in place with duct tape. He was struggling to avoid the hot metal of radiator. Lobanoff had a baseball bat in his hand, but he dropped it on the bed and went into the bathroom to again evaluate the white blonde color in his hair. It was definitely a different look and Lobanoff thought it made him look feminine. He didn't like it, but there wasn't much that could be done about it so he spiked it with gel so it gave him a harder look. He'd appropriated a white t-shirt and a leather jacket. That plus a fedora and a pair of blue jeans gave him a whole new vibe.

He picked the man's wallet off the vanity. He'd gotten lucky. The man had $2,000 squirreled away in his apartment. Lobanoff stuffed the wallet with that. He also had two handguns. He figured all the metro cabbies had a picture of him on their dash by now, but he'd risk it. He filled a gym bag with the guns, a couple of shirts, and whatever he thought he could use and closed it up. Then he went back into the bedroom and picked up the baseball bat again.

…

"Her name was Holly Germain. Agents found her off the list you gave them, McGee. Lobanoff strangled her and took off. We got a crime scene team there now."

McGee had to struggle to keep from retching. Gibbs slammed his hand down on the desk and mumbled curses.

His hands trembling, McGee reached for his backpack and stood. "Better get over there, Boss."

Fornell shook his head. "You're not going anywhere near that crime scene."

"Not sitting here," McGee challenged.

Gibbs sighed. "Fornell's right. You've been at your desk for almost 36 hours straight. You're not sharp anymore. Plus, he's got a team there. We need to breathe."

"No, I'm good. I can work."

Gibbs looked at Fornell. "I got a place. Lobanoff won't find us."

"Safehouse would be better."

"No. I trust anybody."

"Boss!" McGee looked like he was ready to explode.

Gibbs shook his head. "Half the FBI is working this. You and I need to get out of the way for a little while."

"We go see Tony."

"It's midnight, Tim. We'll go in the morning."

McGee grabbed his gear and headed for the elevator. Gibbs looked at Fornell. "My phone's on. I want to everything."

….

McGee's breathing got ragged the minute he stepped into the suite where he and Gibbs last slept. They'd been silent all the way over, and once in the suite, Gibbs immediately disappeared into his bedroom. McGee understood that it was all business now; they needed rest, but he was wired from all of the emotions of the last two days. He lay in the bed tossing and turning until sleep finally claimed him.

At some point, Lobanoff had his hands around his throat choking him. McGee wrestled with him, yelling his rage into the man's face. Hands held him down, and he lashed out with all he had. "Hey Tim! It's a nightmare! Wake up!"

McGee threw his body forward, his eyes blinking open. Gibbs was sitting on the bed with him. McGee moaned and leaned his head into Gibbs' bare chest. "Nightmare. Just a nightmare."

Gibbs massaged McGee's back. "It's okay, Tim. It's over."

McGee moved his face into Gibbs' neck. "Don't leave."

"We need to sleep," Gibbs whispered.

McGee nipped at the skin on his shoulder. "We'll sleep after you make love to me."

Gibbs moaned and then pushed him onto his back. He straddled him and looked down. "I want you so bad, but the timing of this sucks."

McGee ran his hands up Gibbs' torso and found his nipples, kneading them roughly. "This is the only thing that keeps me going right now."

"I know."

McGee raked his fingers down Gibbs' chest. "I want what we talked about."

Gibbs lowered himself onto McGee's chest, grinding his boxers into McGee's crotch. He began kissing up McGee's neck. "Are you sure?"

McGee moaned. "I need something real. I need to feel you in me. I need an ache in me that's not about regret. Please Jethro."

Gibbs kissed him long and hard before rolling off him and shucking his boxers. "Look at me, Tim."

McGee rolled on his side.

"I don't have condoms. I don't have lube."

McGee stroked his chest. "I know you're safe."

Gibbs studied him carefully. "You trust me."

"Completely."

Gibbs grinned out of one corner of his mouth. "Okay then, we're going to take this slow. Open your legs for me, lover."

Gibbs returned to kissing him hungrily while one hand trailed down past McGee's cock, and began massaging between his ass cheeks.

…

McGee woke on top of rumpled sheets, a new experience very fresh in his mind. He closed his eyes again as he remembered the sensations, the pain, and finally, the wild abandon that gripped him as Gibbs rocked inside him. He knew that the minute that he opened his eyes again, he was going to have return to a world where the people around him got harmed and where his own life was rapidly losing any meaning.

He felt a hand sliding down his back and his eyes flew open. Gibbs sat on the bed next to him fully clothed. "You doing okay, Tim?"

He looked up at Gibbs but said nothing.

"We should go see Tony."

McGee nodded, moving to sit up.

Gibbs gripped his chin and stared into his eyes. "This thing between us is very powerful. I don't know whether to welcome or fear it."

"I love you," he whispered.

"Tim?"

McGee pulled away. "I need to get into the shower. Can't spend the morning in bed."

He closed the door to the bathroom before Gibbs could even contemplate a response.

…..

She sat in the 3rd floor lobby with a magazine. Twice, nurses had stopped to ask her if she needed anything. She'd been surly. They weren't being helpful. She knew that they were reacting to the fact that she didn't look like she belonged. She wore a sweatshirt zipped over a t-shirt and pajama bottoms. Her hair hadn't been washed in a week. Her movements were jittery because she was tweaking over crystal meth withdrawal. The blonde man promised her a $500 buy if she sat here until she saw that one face. She knew she could do it. She could hold on the whole day if necessary, and if those bitch nurses bothered her again, she'd tell them that her grandma was dying. Medical personnel hated dealing with emotionally unstable people. She was sure that would shut them up for awhile.

The elevator doors opened and two men came out: one with silver hair and one with brown hair and green eyes. She looked at the picture on her phone and smiled. She wasn't going to have to wait all day after all. She hit the number the blonde man gave her and waited.

….

His phone buzzed and Gibbs looked at it. "Update from Fornell. I better take this outside."

He leaned over. "I need you healthy and back in the line-up soon. The team doesn't work right without you."

"Got it, Boss." Tony couldn't hide his grin.

McGee started to follow, but Gibbs turned. "Take a few more minutes with Tony. I get you up to speed soon." He gestured at Ziva and she jumped up and followed Gibbs out of the room.

McGee stood a few feet away, unable to make eye contact.

"Come on, McGee. We're not going to go through this crap about it being your fault, are we? We know each other better than that."

Tim shook his head. "Sorry. I'm really off these last couple of days."

"Sit down for a minute." Tony gestured toward the chair Gibbs had used. "You look like hell."

McGee sat stiffly. "We're working hard at finding him. Guess we're all a little tired."

'Yeah, but you look miserable, Tim."

"Shouldn't I be? There's a psycho out there killing because I pushed him too far."

Tony wrinkled his nose. "Yeah, we're not having that conversation either. Come on. I know you've grown past feeling sorry for yourself. I know you. And I'm watching how awkward you are with Gibbs, and I don't get it. What happened between the two of you?"

McGee flinched. "Nothing! Please, you work with him 24 hours a day for the better part of a week and see how you're doing by the end."

Tony smiled. "Okay, I get it. He's the most impatient, unappreciative man on the planet, but I don't get that vibe off him right now. He's soft with you. It's weird."

"Please Tony, I beg you to not make this a mystery. Don't analyze me. I can't…I just can't take anymore."

Tony leaned over and grabbed his arm. "This is what I'm talking about. I haven't heard you talk like that since you accidentally killed Benedict. You sound despondent."

McGee was on his feet. "I asked you to stop, Tony! Do you always have to push!"

Ziva ran in. "What happened in here?"

McGee dropped his head. "My fault. I let my frustrations get the best of me. I apologize, Tony."

Tony studied him. "It's okay, Tim. You were right. I pushed."

Gibbs leaned in. "Are you ready, McGee?"

He closed his eyes and nodded. "Be right there."

Tony nodded at Ziva. "Give us a minute."

She slipped outside again.

"Tim, if you need anything, I am there for you. You've always had my back. Always. I am there for you."

Tim sighed. "I know that, Tony. Right now, I just need you to get better."

"You're going to be okay, McGee."

McGee nodded, forcing a smile.

…

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I don't have a good word to describe this chapter. It is a bit macabre, intense…I don't know. Lobanoff is at his worst here. Read at your own risk…and then tell me what you think. Sheila

The Mistaken Wolf

Chapter 8

She waited until the SUV stopped and then she piled in the back. She slid in next to her friend and the blonde man turned to her. "What did you see?"

"They um, climbed into a blue Ford license plate KLT 242. They took a left at the stop sign about a minute ago."

He smiled big and threw a bag at them. They grabbed it together, and pulled out enough crystal meth to keep them high for three days. One of them patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks Dude! Just drop us at the next corner."

"Just need you for a little while longer. Sit back and relax, Ladies."

The two girls looked at each other. Being a meth addict had its risks and the bleached blonde man made them feel uneasy. They knew they should've anticipated that the money was too easy. One of them tried the door but the child locks were on. They huddled on the seat together and waited for him to make his next move.

….

The early morning conversation played over and over in Gibbs' head as he drove. McGee said he loved him and Gibbs sat there like a statue. It was wrong in so many ways. Gibbs had been through enough marriages to know not to let something like that sit, but the words had paralyzed him. The worst part was that McGee deserved better than that. He was the sweetest and most trusting person Gibbs knew.

Gibbs glanced over to find McGee staring out the passenger side window. "I didn't mean to not respond to you this morning, Tim."

McGee turned toward him. "My fault. I should've known better."

Gibbs shook his head. "It's Lobanoff. It's so intense right now. People say things when they're in the midst of a crisis. If he wasn't in the equation, who knows if you would've said anything at all."

"Sort of a 'heat of the moment' thing, right?"

"Yeah, exactly."

McGee sighed. "Except what I said had nothing to do with Lobanoff. I might not have said it as soon, but this is who I am. This is how I feel, and what I said to you was real."

"Tim…"

"I know who you are and you know who I am. The fact that we didn't foresee this problem is mindboggling. This was inevitable."

Gibbs frowned into his rearview mirror. "Without Lobanoff, we might never have…become intimate."

McGee looked away. "So this was a mistake."

"Didn't say that," Gibbs said as he swerved suddenly into the left lane and hung a hard left.

McGee hung on tight. "Right. The Gibbs approach is to say nothing at all."

"Tim…Shit! Hold on!" A large white SUV with tinted windows pulled up alongside the sedan and before Gibbs could say anything more, it rammed the driver side hard. The car careened off to the right over a curb and straight into a tree.

….

McGee opened his eyes to the hissing sound of steam from a damaged motor. The hood was bent in two and the windshield a web of cracked glass. He shook his head and turned to Gibbs. The driver's side had crumpled in on him.

"Boss, are you okay?"

Gibbs moaned, shaking his head slowly.

McGee looked over the back seat and saw a man and a girl standing on the grass. As he focused, he realized that the man was Lobanoff and he was holding a gun on the girl. McGee straightened up and fumbled for his weapon. "He's here! Lobanoff is here!"

Gibbs' eyes popped open. "Tim? Where?"

"He's got a hostage. A girl."

McGee started to scramble out his door but Gibbs caught his arm. "Think smart, McGee. You go out there and he has you right where he wants you."

"McGee, get out of the car now or she dies!" Lobanoff moved her closer.

McGee turned to Gibbs, breathing hard. "Give your weapon."

"Can't move. Pull it out of my holster. Won't work. He'll know to look for a second weapon."

McGee reached over, pulled it out, and then shoved it into his waistband.

"You're waiting too long, McGee!" Then there was the sharp report of a bullet.

McGee's head popped up and the girl was lying on the ground with blood pouring out of her head. "Oh my God! He shot her!"

"It's okay, McGee! I got another one!" Lobanoff shouted as he reappeared, dragging another girl who was screaming at the sight of her dying friend.

"Tim, you gotta' stall! Call Fornell!" Gibbs hissed.

"No time." McGee opened the passenger door and slid out.

"No McGee!" Gibbs reached for him but his youngest agent had slipped clean away.

….

McGee raised his hands for Lobanoff, dropping his weapon into the grass. "Let her go. You have me now."

Lobanoff threw him a pair of handcuffs. "Put these on one wrist and follow me."

Lobanoff dragged the girl around to the back of the SUV and opened it. "Lean over, McGee."

Tim shuddered but did as ordered. Lobanoff let go of the screaming girl and she ran over to her friend. Lobanoff was on McGee then, clasping his hands behind his back and closing the cuffs. Then he did a quick search, finding his cell, knife, and finally, Gibbs' service weapon. Each item he threw onto the street. McGee started to struggle with him, but then something heavy hit him on the back of the head and his world went dark.

…..

Gibbs grit his teeth as firefighters worked to extricate him from the wreck. He kept pulling at his caught shoulder resulting in howls of pain and frustration. EMTs urged him to lie quietly, but it was impossible. The only relief came when Fornell's head appeared between two of the firefighters. "They took him!"

Fornell nodded. "I know. We've got a partial on the plates, and we're going to have them within the hour."

Gibbs winced. "He's too smart for that. He's in a new vehicle by now."

"I underestimated him, Jethro."

"As soon as I get out of this car, I'm coming with you."

Fornell looked at an EMT who shook his head and said, "Looks like a dislocated shoulder. Probably a couple of cracked ribs. Still assessing for internal bleeding."

Fornell turned back to Gibbs. "Sorry, Jethro. No can do."

"Tobias!"

Fornell gestured at the EMT. "You're probably going to have to sedate him."

Then he stepped away from the wreck and surveyed the scene. The dead girl stay lay in the bloody grass where he dropped her. The other girl managed to shoot up a deadly dose of Meth before Police arrived, and was currently being loaded into an ambulance in a semi-comatose state. Jethro was right. Lobanoff was undoubtedly in a new vehicle by now. The trick was to set a radius and catch all reports of stolen vehicles within the perimeter, the emphasis on SUVs. This psycho was partial to gas guzzlers. Fornell cursed low in his throat, and then turned and started yelling at agents.

….

McGee opened his eyes as his head bounced off the seat again. There was tape on his mouth and he had a searing headache. He pulled at his arms and legs, but he was still cuffed and his ankles were secured as well. Still, he struggled at his bonds.

He was in the backseat of a vehicle and as he pulled at his bounds, he saw Lobanoff looking at him in the rear view mirror. He had weird white blonde hair and when he smiled, McGee felt fear rush up from his gut.

"Hey baby! Are you glad to see me? I bet you did not think I could pull this off. The truth is that I'm pretty resourceful when I really want something, and you are something I want. Think the FBI is going to pick us up in an hour? Think again, my friend. I rolled you into a new vehicle about 35 minutes ago. Nicer SUV. It drives beautifully."

McGee closed his eyes and shuddered.

"You want to hear what's on our itinerary? We're on our way to Miss Virginia's house. Remember how I told you I dated Miss Virginia 2007 for three years. I finally got rid of her a couple of years ago, but she's still hot for me. Loves it rough. Needs it. She got married last year and lives in the country. Nice estate about 3 miles off the highway. Husband is always in New York. I called her this morning. She'll do anything for me. She doesn't know about you, but that's okay because we don't have to tell her."

McGee just stared at him as he talked. Escape seemed impossible now, and McGee was overwhelmed by what was undoubtedly coming.

"So what I think we're going to do is this. I go in and satisfy the lovely Miss V. Then after she's passed out, because the girl loves her wine, I come out and you and I can have some special time. I'm going to rape you, Tim. I have spent weeks thinking of ways to really debase you. I've got good ideas and I have supplies in my backpack. In the end, you'll beg for your own death and I'm going to film it."

Lobanoff's face disappeared from the mirror as he looked down. Then he appeared in the mirror again smiling. "I'm getting hard just thinking about it."

McGee closed his eyes and tried to clear his body of the paralyzing fear that gripped it. He needed his faculties in order to fight his way out, but he couldn't imagine an outcome other than the one that Lobanoff was describing to him.

…

DiNozzo was watching Dial M for Murder when Ziva got a call. She excused herself from his hospital room for a few minutes. He paused the screen and stared at it. A feeling had been growing in his gut ever since he saw McGee that morning. McGee had been off, and Tony worried that he wasn't going to be able to hold on much longer. He hoped that Ziva was going to come back in and announce that Lobanoff had been finally caught. Yet the DiNozzo gut was infamous and something wasn't right.

When Ziva came back in the room, her face was white and her eyes shiny.

"What Ziva?"

"Lobanoff rammed the car carrying Gibbs and McGee. Car crashed into a tree. Gibbs was injured, stuck in the vehicle. Lobanoff killed a girl. Then he took McGee. Fornell has intensified the manhunt. They're bringing Gibbs into the ER right now. I feel like…I feel like I should do…I trust Fornell, but someone should be there. That man took McGee. Someone who loves him should be there, Tony."

Tony slid off the bed and tried to stand. A wave of dizziness fell over him and he swayed. She got there in time to push him back onto the bed. "Ahuvi sheli, this is exactly the problem. I need to leave in order to help McGee, but I can only do this if I know that you will be okay. You can not conquer the world just now. Please understand this!"

He nodded slowly. "Go Ziva. You're right. Someone who loves him should be there."

She touched his face and then leaned in, kissing him softly on the mouth. "Ani ohevet ochta. I will call when I can."

He swallowed. "I'm going to look that up, you know."

She gave him a quick smile and slipped out the door.

…

Gibbs fought the sleepiness and cloudiness that the morphine gave him. He couldn't quite formulate a plan of action, but he believed that getting to his feet was the first necessary step. Pain shot through him from several points of origin, further clouding his thinking. He'd rolled off the bed twice already, but had trouble maneuvering to a standing position. Nurses reasoned with him. Restraints were discussed, but Gibbs was single-minded in purpose.

Then Ducky was there, and Gibbs clung to the older man uncharacteristically. "It's my fault, Duck. I did this. I let myself be distracted. Made bad decisions. Didn't realize he was there until he was on top of us. My fault."

He allowed Ducky to maneuver him back onto the bed. "You're injured, Jethro. Pain meds are clouding your judgment. You're no good to anyone until you rest."

"It's my fault." His blue eyes searched Ducky's.

Ducky nodded to a nurse who sunk a needle into his IV. Gibbs felt a powerful heaviness overcome him and he looked up to Duck for help, but his eyelids failed him and he went limp.

Ducky looked down at him. "I'm sorry, old friend. You can't help anyone today."

Then he turned to the nurse. "As his proxy, I can authorize treatment. Let's see if we can't get a CAT scan done."

The nurse nodded and left the room. Ducky squeezed his eyes shut. "May God help you, Timothy."

…

McGee lay in total darkness. Lobanoff had kept up a running monologue of all he'd done and all he planned to do during the drive. Then he slowed onto a road in the country, finally parking in a driveway. He disappeared for a few moments and then returned to the SUV, maneuvering into a garage. He turned to look at McGee. "Gonna' leave you here, baby. I gotta' go in and romance the bitch. Got to get her drunk enough so she passes out. Then I'll come down and you and I can finish what we started."

The leather seat in the SUV was no longer comfortable. The leather seat grew stiff as winter temperatures dropped below freezing. His wrists were raw from his attempts to slide a hand through a bracelet, but he had to keep trying. When they found his dead body, he wanted Gibbs to see that he never stopped fighting. He hadn't worn a coat when he was in the sedan, and his shirt and jeans were almost no protection against the cold air. As the hours passed, his body finally stopped shivering. His limbs had become numb and his mind slow as he slipped deeper into a hypothermic state. He began mumbling random thoughts into the duct tape on his mouth.

A calm descended over him as the hallucinations took over. At one point, he saw Gibbs sitting in the front seat. He smiled at him and said, "It's okay, Jethro. You come by your intimacy issues honestly. Nobody should have to endure what you endured. I don't blame you and I'm not mad. I'll always love you, but you don't have to love me back."

Gibbs looked at him with weary eyes, but didn't answer.

"I don't want you to be sad when I don't come back. I know you're asking yourself why we didn't see Lobanoff before it was too late, but we were too busy being human. I know you don't have much time for being human, but it happens sometimes. It's actually the best part of being a person."

Gibbs shook his head, and McGee got distressed. "Please don't hurt so much. We can see it. You think we can't, but we can. It'll be over for me soon, and then I'll be okay again. It won't be so bad. I think the worst part for me is knowing that you'll hurt over this. You don't know how to forgive yourself. Remember Kate. You almost destroyed yourself after Kate. I bet you didn't think we knew, but I could smell the bourbon on you every morning, and I saw the unnecessary risks you took…almost like you were hoping for a way to die honorably. Don't be that person. People need you too much."

After awhile, Gibbs faded, but others visited. He laughed with Abby over their early days as lovers; remembering coffins as beds and his early awkwardness as a lover. With Ziva, he took time to tell her that his love for her was special. He'd watched her grow from cold-hearted assassin to a warm, good-hearted woman. He told her that he'd long harbored a little crush on her, but he knew that they were fated to be like siblings.

Tony came and tried to help him get the handcuffs off. While he worked, McGee told him he loved him. Tony ignored him so McGee had to bang himself against the back of the seat to get his attention. "Tony, you have to save Boss. I can feel his hurt already, and you're the only one who can save him. He loves you and Abby the most, but you need him more than she does and he knows that. You tell him that I'm okay. Tell him that I don't blame him for anything. Tell him that my time at NCIS were the best years of my life. I love him, Tony. You gotta' tell him that. Promise me, Tony. Promise me!"

His agitation waxed and waned as the cold seeped deeper into his body. He no longer worried about anyone, even Lobanoff. Finally, he just drifted away.

….

Lobanoff stumbled into the garage early in the morning. He slapped the side of the SUV. "Timmy! Timmy! It's time."

There was no response from the still figure. He opened the door and shook McGee. No movement. "Damn, McGee, you're cold. I didn't think about the damn temperature. This ain't going be no fun if you're not awake."

Slapping his face did nothing. Lobanoff cursed again. He pulled McGee by his legs out of the truck and slung him over his shoulder. Weaving, he barely made it inside on his feet. He dumped McGee in the laundry room and dropped some blankets on him. For a few minutes, he massaged his arms and legs, but McGee still didn't wake.

"Come on, McGee! I'm not raping a corpse. I couldn't get down here earlier. It takes a lot more wine to knock her out than it used to. Wake up!"

Lobanoff stood up and kicked the washer. "Idiot!"

Then he turned his rage on his unconscious captive. He kicked McGee in the gut. Then he kicked him again. He aimed for his head and kicked him hard there. He kicked him several more times, but there was no satisfaction in destroying something that was already so lifeless.

Finally, the alcohol took over and he slid to the ground. "Going go get some sleep now, but I'll be back. Going to have some fun then."

Lobanoff pulled himself to his feet and weaved his way out the door, slamming it on McGee's unconscious form.

….

DiNozzo's room was crowded. He no longer pretended recuperation. He sat uncomfortably in a chair under the belief that the sooner he acted normally, the sooner his body would reciprocate by healing. He ignored Ducky's fussing on the topic.

He had a roommate now. A drugged Gibbs slept in the bed next to his. Abby rested her head on his arm; the vibrant girl now paralyzed by her fear for McGee. Jimmy stood at the window, uncharacteristically silent. It was clear he wanted to help but could see no avenue for it. Then Jimmy startled. "They're here!"

Tony shifted in his chair and looked at Ducky. They both knew not to expect much. If there was something big to tell, surely they would've called with the news. Abby raised her head. Gently she patted Gibbs' arm. "Wake up, Gibbs. Wake up."

His eyes popped open and he tried to sit up. He howled at the pain in his left shoulder. Ducky rolled his eyes. "Neither you nor Tony have the good sense instilled in your basic toddler. Lay back. You're not going anywhere."

Gibbs glared at him, but settled back into his pillow. He pointed a finger at Ducky. "Stay away from me with your damn medication. I want to be able to think."

"Your shoulder's set and there's no internal bleeding so you can suffer without medication to your heart's content."

"Ducky! Be nice to him!"

"Abby, he can't force his body to instantly heal. If I thought either he or Tony could be doing something that isn't already being done to find poor Timothy, I would understand, but there is nothing to be done but wait."

Fornell came in followed by Director Vance. "I see we have quite a party here."

Tony leaned on one arm of his chair awkwardly in order to deal with the ache in his side. "What do you know?"

Fornell looked at Vance. "Between the two agencies, we have approximately 60 agents working just this case. Local LEO's are all out in force. Lobanoff can't go to a gas station in the tri-state area without getting caught."

"Then why haven't you found him?" Tony asked.

"We know he switched the car he rammed into Gibbs with a Lincoln Escalade. It's not an easy car to hide. It's probably in a garage or behind a building. We're doing all we can to find it."

Gibbs leaned up on his good arm. "Do you think he's out of Virginia?"

Vance shook his head. "We would've spotted him. State police are watching, and we're monitoring all reports of stolen cars to see he might have switched up again."

Gibbs closed his eyes. "He's hiding within two hours of here. He couldn't risk being out on the roads longer than that. Is it possible that he owns property we don't know about?"

"Or a friend," Tony added. "Is there someone harboring him that we haven't vetted?"

Fornell nodded. "Good questions, Gentlemen. We're already exploring both angles. Duggar's people made a list of possible contacts. We're sending teams out to each contact. So far, nothing."

"Where's Ziva?"

Vance sighed. "Rusty Balboa is in charge on our end of things. Special Agent David is currently harassing him. He's tolerating as best he can. He knows how important this is. Likes McGee. We've gone to the mattresses on this one. Cots are lined up in the break room, but nobody's sleeping."

Fornell looked at Gibbs and Tony. "You two understand Lobanoff as well as I do. Is McGee still alive?"

Tony shook his head and looked away.

Gibbs thought for a moment. "Lobanoff isn't interested in a quick resolution. You're not going to find McGee in a ditch with a single bullet hole through his head. Lobanoff needs a place to play. He wants to torture McGee before he kills him. As bad as it sounds, it's the only advantage McGee has. Lobanoff wants to take his time."

Abby backed up against a wall, one hand over her mouth and the other on her heaving gut. Ducky turned at Jimmy. "Take her out of her, please."

Jimmy put an arm around her and led her out of the room. Vance nodded at the closing door. "I know how she feels."

Fornell looked at Ducky. "Can either of them work?"

Ducky's eyes widened. "Is there something that isn't already being done?"

"We need a team who understands a psycho like Lobanoff. I would throw this to my own people, but it would take them weeks to get caught up. The two of you seem to have a handle on how a beast like this operates. You'd have to work with Duggar's people. They're still our best intell. You'd be at your desks. No heavy lifting. We need ideas. Out of the box thinking."

Ducky nodded. "I can keep them going on B12 shots and light pain killers, if necessary."

Gibbs pulled the blankets off his legs. "We'll need you too, Duck, for the psychological work. Can somebody find my damn pants?"

Vance threw him clothes from a closet. "You better be able to dress yourself, Gibbs, 'cause if you can't, neither one of you is going anywhere."

Gibbs gave them all a hard look. "Then get out of here so we can have some privacy."

Vance flipped a toothpick into his mouth and smiled as he, Fornell, and Ducky walked out the door.

Gibbs looked at Tony. "You help me get dressed and then we do you. Can't let those jokers think we're not strong enough to work this case."

"You really think he's still alive? It's been 24 hours. Lobanoff's not a patient man."

Gibbs shook his head. "I can't…Don't…just help me with the pants, will ya?"

…

The pain made it hard to think. Any movement sent waves of pain radiating everywhere. He could tell he wasn't in the truck anymore, but he wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. He lifted his off the tile and tried to free himself of the blankets covering him without the use of his limbs. His head hurt horribly but he kept pushing. Finally, his face found an opening. The smell of detergent, dirty clothes, and machines was enough to tell him that he was in a laundry room.

For a long time, he stared at the closed door and tried to imagine what he could do. The solution to getting out of handcuffs and the duct tape binding his legs eluded him. It was then that he noticed that the duct tape on his mouth was gone. He wasn't sure what kind of advantage that gave him, but he would add that to his list of resources.

Suddenly, he heard noise outside the room. He held his breath and concentrated. There were the sounds one made when they shuffled into the kitchen in the morning. He heard a coffee maker percolating and then a refrigerator opening. It could be Lobanoff, but it also could be the elusive Miss Virginia. McGee had no interest in interacting with Lobanoff, but he had to take a chance. He took a deep breath and hoarsely yelled, "Help! Help!"

The noise in the other room stopped, and for a moment, he wondered if these were his final moments in this life. Then the door slowly opened and he immediately saw the steel of a large knife.

….

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: For me, this chapter works better than the last. It's weird and graphic, but not as sadistic. I hope you are still reading. I would love to know if you are. Sheila

The Mistaken Wolf

Chapter 9

Her face was sculpted, and even with tousled hair and no make-up, he could tell that she was a rare beauty. Her surprised blue eyes took him in, and she opened her mouth to scream.

"Please!" he begged. "Don't say anything! I'm a Federal law enforcement officer. I've been kidnapped and I need your help."

Mouth open, she walked in and stood over him. "How did you get in my laundry room?"

"Mitch Lobanoff kidnapped me and brought me here. He plans to kill me."

She shook her head. "Not my Mitch. It's a lie. I bet you're not even a Fed. I bet you're one of those people trying to frame him for these murders."

He could feel the swelling on his face where Lobanoff had kicked him repeatedly. He imagined he looked something like a monster to her. "My name is Timothy McGee. I'm with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. If you turn on the TV, you'll undoubtedly see that I am who I say I am."

She backed away. "No, I don't believe you. Why would my Mitch kidnap a Naval officer? It makes no sense."

Tim sighed. "I'm not a Nava—Nevermind. Ma'am, your Mitch is a murderer. He's going to kill me and he plans to kill you too."

"Not true. He loves me. I'm going to go get him and he'll prove that you're nothing but a liar."

She was at the door when he said. "Wait!"

She turned to him again. He lifted his bruised head off the ground. "Your life depends on this next move, Ma'am. I am Special Agent Timothy McGee and if you don't help me, you're going to jail for the next 40 years."

She frowned. "I didn't do anything."

He swallowed. "You've aided and abetted in the impending murder of a Federal officer. You will be charged with conspiracy. The only thing saving you from the death penalty will be whether or not you turn state's evidence against Lobanoff."

"You're lying."

McGee had a feeling about this woman. "You won't be beautiful in prison! No makeup. I've been to a women's prison. You will have access to a barber only twice a year. Your jumpsuit will be gray."

She stared at him, horrified. "But I didn't do anything wrong."

"You have one chance to save me and you have to take it. They will find my body in your house. Do you understand what that means? There is a massive manhunt on. It's only a matter of time."

"Mitch says we're flying to the Bahamas this afternoon."

McGee shook his head. "They're watching airports. Do you honestly think that bad blonde dye job is going to be a good disguise for him? He looks like a cheap gambler you picked up in Atlantic City. It's an embarrassment."

She stared at him, and he could imagine that she was weighing options in that shallow brain of hers.

"I'm an admiral's son and I have many commendations. If you help me, I will put you on TV."

She cocked her head at him.

"Picture this, Miss Virginia. Picture yourself in your most demure silk blouse and a black pencil skirt telling your courageous story to an anchor on ZNN. You're gorgeous. A classic beauty. Hollywood can't pass up a pretty face. You'll have an agent by the end of the day. I can make that happen for you."

"I want to meet Oprah."

"Ahh…I can make some calls. She likes strong and brave women, and if you help me, you'd certainly qualify."

She strode forward suddenly and pulled the blankets from his body. Hypothermia was still active in his body, and he shivered violently.

She saw the handcuffs and nodded. "I think we have bolt cutters. I'll go look."

"No! Just free my legs. It's only duct tape. Get me to my feet. We'll drive away. Call 911." He yelled as she disappeared out the door. He was met by silence. She was only going to play this game by her rules. He turned his face into the linoleum and cursed.

…

"Lobanoff is hiding out. The question is with whom. Does he have a friend harboring him and McGee?"

Fornell stood at the head of the table in NCIS's largest conference room. DiNozzo had come in held up by Ziva. Gibbs came in under his own steam, but he sat awkwardly to alleviate the pain in his left shoulder. Ducky, Abby, and Jimmy were there. Vance sat next to Fornell, arms folded. It was clear that the director wasn't going anywhere. Duggar and his men sat in a group at the end of the table.

Fornell looked at Duggar. "What do you say? Does Lobanoff have a friend harboring him?"

Duggar shook his head. "I can't picture it. We vetted everybody. We've had joint FBI/NCIS teams visiting everyone on the list we made."

"Do you think he pulled a home invasion? He could have multiple hostages by now."

Gibbs looked at Vance. "I can't see it. Plus, if he did that, where is the damn Lincoln he stole? We would've found that by now. Lobanoff needed a safe place where he could…deal with McGee."

DiNozzo looked up. "He's with somebody he knows."

Fornell nodded. "Put that list of known associates up on the screen."

They all looked at the big screen. It was put together as spreadsheet. Each name was down the side, and the various dates and times of contacts for each name. At the bottom was a short list of four names they hadn't yet found: Tony, Stepanie, Amelia, and Miss Virginia 2007.

"You said you vetted everyone?" DiNozzo frowned.

"The last four names we can't find faces for," Duggar said.

Tony gestured at the screen. "I bet he's with one of them."

"DiNozzo, we've been sleeping in your break room for the last three nights trying to figure this out. We've tried everything," said one of Duggar's men.

"Not good enough!"

The agent got to his feet, but Duggar grabbed his arm and pulled him down. "DiNozzo's right. It's not good enough."

"How did you find those last four names?" Gibbs asked.

"These were names the guys overhead Lobanoff saying either on the phone or mentioning in passing."

"Miss Virginia 2007 shouldn't be hard to track down," said Abby.

"Hey, we checked the Miss Virginia pageant five years before and the three since and no one has heard of Mitch Lobanoff."

"Do you think she really exists?"

Duggar nodded at Tony. "Two of these guys ran into Lobanoff out with a beautiful brunette one night. Afterward, he claimed she was Miss Virginia 2007."

"Did you do a sketch?" Gibbs leaned awkwardly on the tabletop. Beside him, Abby typed furiously on a laptop.

One of the agents shrugged. "It was maybe three years ago. We tried. We looked at all the winners and runners up. None of them is the brunette we saw him with. We figure he might've been lying about the Miss Virginia thing."

"Did you check contestants against the other missing names?"

"Yeah, we talked to four Stephanies and one Amelia. We can't connect any of them to Lobanoff."

"What about the name Tony?"

"The pageant is for females, Gibbs. We knew it wasn't DiNozzo, and we've been checking all the Tony's in the bureau, but no luck so far."

Abby stopped typing. "Guys."

DiNozzo leaned forward. "We need more resources."

"Guys!"

Everyone stopped to look at Abby. She hit a button and a face came on the big screen. "Is this the brunette you saw Lobanoff with?"

Duggar's agents stared at the beautiful blue-eyed brunette. One of them pointed. "Oh my God! That's her. How did you find her?"

"Pageants don't like scandals. This is the first Miss Virginia 2007. She lost her crown the next day when nude pictures of her surfaced. The official website basically wiped all trace of her. I found her on Google. And her name is Antoinette Michaels. Short for Toni."

Gibbs nodded. "That's good work, Abs. Where is she now?"

"Give me a minute. I'm in the Virginia department of Motor Vehicles. She, uh…got married last year to a Stephen Stillman. They have a country home an hour out of Fairfax, VA. It's only 75 minutes from here."

"That's where McGee is, Tobias. That's where we'll find him."

Fornell nodded. "I'll get the State Police to cordon off the area. We're not sending in any old Sheriff's deputies. It'll go bad."

DiNozzo pulled himself upright. "Let's go!"

…

No food or water, physical injuries, and lingering hypothermia made it difficult for McGee to concentrate. He couldn't tell if she'd been gone for 5 minutes or 50. As each moment passed, he was certain that Lobanoff was going to walk in the room. Yelling for her seemed dangerous and so he waited. Periodically, exhaustion would take over and he'd fall into darkness again.

He felt a sharp pain in his hand and jerked awake. He looked up, breathing hard. She was standing over him with an industrial bolt cutters, maneuvering it on his handcuffs. He shook his head. "Don't waste time like this. Call 911. Cut the tape on my legs. We'll run."

"A 911 call is not going to get me on Oprah," she said simply. "Hold still. I don't want to cut off a finger."

She grunted as the cutters came together and he jerked. Then his hands were free, and pain flooded through the stiffened muscles. He bit on the scream. When he was in control again, he looked up. "A scissors for the duct tape on my legs. Now!"

She disappeared and returned quickly. She cut the tape and he groaned as he forced his legs to separate. "Help me to my feet," he mumbled. As she pulled him upright, he struggled to stay conscious.

She ran out of the laundry room, and he stumbled after her, grabbing counters and the doorframe for support. "Knives."

She pulled several out of a butcher's block. McGee grabbed two with the thinnest, straightest blades. "Keys to the car. We go now!"

She hesitated. "My hair. I'm in pajamas."

"Lady!" he said gripping the counters in her kitchen for support. "You're not taking me seriously here. He's going to kill us. Let's go!"

"Let me just grab a sweater." She darted from the kitchen. He groaned into the counter, fighting for consciousness. Then he heard words in the next room that left him cold.

"Mitch, you're up. Baby, I thought you were all worn out."

"Mitch, what's wrong? I didn't do anything. I swear. I found him but I didn't help him."

"Mitch!" Her screams were bloodcurdling. McGee banged the counter with his fist, grabbed a knife in each hand and weaved his way into the living room.

The beauty queen locked eyes with McGee for one moment, her back to Lobanoff and one of his beefy arms holding her to him tightly. Then he slashed across her throat with a knife and the beauty queen became a living and dying fountain of blood. He let go of her while she careened wildly about the room, her hands grasping at the gaping wound in her neck. She rushed at McGee, but bounced off him as he had no strength to hold her and she ran headlong into a wall. McGee grabbed the blade end of one of his knives and aimed it at Lobanoff.

….

Duggar's men fanned out at the head of the driveway while Gibbs, and DiNozzo watched from Fornell's car. Ziva had darted out after them without waiting for anyone's permission.

"I don't like it," Gibbs murmured.

"Relax Jethro, Duggar may run a loose ship, but he worked 25 years in SWAT. His men are well trained for this sort of thing."

His walkie talkie crackled. "Fornell, who let the Israeli out? Over."

Fornell pressed a button. "Deal with it, George. She can take out any three of your men without breaking a sweat. Come on now. Let's get this thing done!"

DiNozzo turned his head. "Ducky and Jimmy are pulling up behind us in the truck."

Gibbs nodded. "Signal for them to wait. Too many guns with safety off out there."

Tony gave Jimmy a sign. Then the walkie talkie crackled again. "I got my eyes on a Lincoln Escalade in the garage. Over."

Gibbs stiffened. Another message. "I got my eyes on the window to the living room. It's a fucking massacre! My God! I've never seen so much blood!"

Then Duggar broke in. "Calm down, Jamison! Are your eyes on victims? Over."

"I see two bodies!"

"Anyone moving? Over."

"No, Boss. No one is moving! Over."

"This is Duggar. I need three people on the front door. We're going in!"

Tony grabbed the door handle, but Gibbs caught his arm. "We're in the way. Hold on!"

They heard the sound of wood cracking, and saw the team piling into the front of the house. Gibbs held his breath.

The walkie talkie erupted again. "I got eyes on Lobanoff. It's definitely him. Over."

"Is he alive? Over."

"Can't tell. Blood everywhere. Woman down. Over."

Fornell grabbed the walkie talkie. "McGee? Over."

"No eyes on him yet. Over."

"Guns down. Threat has been immobilized. Over."

Gibbs nodded at DiNozzo and they piled out of the car with Fornell. Tony swayed precariously until Fornell grabbed his arm and slung it over his shoulder. Ziva popped out the front door and ran toward them. "McGee is not in there. I gave every room a cursory search. There's blood everywhere."

For the first time ever, Gibbs saw fear in her eyes. He wrapped his good arm around her. "It's okay, Ziva. We'll take it slow."

Duggar came running out of the house. "Have we got EMT's on site? That son of a bitch, Lobanoff, is still breathing."

Gibbs turned his head and saw Ducky and Jimmy advancing. "Lobanoff's breathing. Help him! We got to find out where Tim is."

Jimmy took off in a dead run toward the door, Ducky following in his wake. Gibbs stopped at the front steps. The house was full of agents. Now Ducky and Jimmy. He felt a reluctance to go inside. Tony and Fornell turned to him and Gibbs shook his head. "Ziva and I will do a reconnaissance of the outside of the property."

Tony nodded and allowed Fornell to help him up the steps.

Ziva turned to him. "Are you up for this?"

"You're the gun. I'm the eyes."

The house sat on an acre of land. Around the back was a lovely deck and then a walk down to a pond. Gibbs saw the water and closed his eyes. It was a perfect dumping ground for a body. Lobanoff kills McGee and carries him out to the pond. Then he goes back in and wrestles with Miss Virginia. Somehow, she gets a knife in him.

Gibbs let Ziva sweep the backyard while he slowly walked down to the water. He was going to find McGee's body floating. Properly weighing a body down takes hours of work. Lobanoff was no kind of craftsman. Gibbs swallowed a lump in his throat because he knew that Tim was down there, and he planned to take a few minutes to properly apologize to him before he let the others know.

He almost slipped in the grass and he looked down to find bloodstains. He didn't alert Ziva. He just kept his eyes on the ground, following the blood drops until he got to the pond. Quickly, he noticed that the blood transferred to the wooden dock built at the edge. The dock widened to an area with a circle of Adirondack chairs. It was probably a nice place to sit on a summer's evening watching the sun set.

Time had no real meaning. He carefully considered each bloodstain, careful to not disturb them. He was halfway down the dock when he realized that there was someone sitting in one of the Adirondack chairs. He could see the back of someone's head. It was McGee. He was sure of it. Lobanoff dumped him there. Probably planned to find a skiff. Maybe, he was going to row the body out somewhere.

He choked on emotions. This was going to be such a blow for everyone. McGee was so easy to love. Everyone was going to take it hard. The pain in his own gut threatened to consume him. McGee was his youngest agent; a sweet man-boy who could work among the best of them. More than that, he had become Gibbs' lover. The computer genius with the sweet face had reached more deeply into Gibbs' heart than anyone had in years. The complexity of what they'd shared tied Gibbs in knots, and he knew it would a long time before he would find peace again.

When he reached the body, he forced himself to look down at McGee. Bruises and swelling punctuated his young face and he was deathly pale, but he wasn't as gray as Gibbs expected. His breath caught and he grasped McGee's wrist. Suddenly, green eyes popped open and he jumped back. The eyes found him. "Cold…cold."

Gibbs straightened up as if snapping out of a dream. "Ziva! I found McGee! I need Ducky! Now!"

Then he knelt in front of McGee. "Talk to me, Tim. Where are you hurt?"

McGee's eyes were dull and slow. "Cold."

Gibbs started feeling McGee's limbs for signs of injury. There was blood on his shirt and when he ripped the shirt open, he found nicks and slashes from a knife. Then he felt McGee's skin. It was cold, very cold and clammy. He turned McGee's eyes to his. "He left you outside, didn't he?"

McGee looked past him. "Lots of blood. Miss Virginia. Blood."

Gibbs put his good hand on McGee's cheek. "You're in shock. Probably hypothermic. We're going to take care of you, Tim. I'm not going to leave you."

McGee looked down at him. "Killed him. Threw a knife. Got it right this time. Came down to find the sun. I need the sun."

Ziva came bounding down the dock, a line of people running after her. Gibbs looked up. "Just Ducky. He's in shock. He's hurt bad."

She stopped dead and turned to gesture a halt. Ducky clambered onto the deck and came toward them. Gibbs looked up. "I think he's hypothermic, Duck!"

Duck turned to Ziva. "Tell the EMT's to bring thermal blankets!"

She ran back toward the grass.

McGee cocked his head as if finally recognizing him. "Boss?"

"I'm here."

"You got hurt too."

Gibbs smiled. "Remember when I pushed you out of the way of that car and hurt my other shoulder a couple of years ago. You followed me around like a puppy trying to help me. This time it's my turn to help you."

Ducky was there, pushing Gibbs. "I need space, Jethro."

Gibbs climbed into the chair next to McGee and watched Ducky wrestle with the blood pressure cuff. McGee had closed his eyes again. Ducky watched the pressure gauge and cursed. "His pressure hardly registers. I bet his electrolytes are in the toilet. Blood loss. Shock. Hypothermia. Physical trauma. If we're not careful, he'll go into cardiac arrest."

"Duck!"

Ducky stood and yelled. "Get a stretcher down here now! We'll load and go!"

Agents on the lawn started shouting at the EMTs. Gibbs saw DiNozzo and Ziva standing at the edge of the pond, arms wrapped around each other. He turned back to McGee and squeezed his hand. "It's going to be okay, Tim. I promise you."

Then EMTs pounded the dock and Gibbs had to let go of him.

…

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: It's been two weeks since my last chapter. I have really struggled to get this right. I want the characterizations to be right and I want it to not feel like every other story I write. I am clearly overthinking this. Anyway, there is only one more chapter to go. I hope there are people still reading. If you are, I would love to hear from you. Thank you, Sheila

The Mistaken Wolf

Chapter 10

McGee lay in a bed staring out a window while IV's and medications worked to bring his body back into balance. He'd resisted conversation, but Ducky sat with him nonetheless until he saw Fornell watching them from the observation window. He got up to join the agent behind the glass.

"Can't you wait a day?"

"He's conscious. It's best to get it done with as soon as possible. Otherwise, there's a sense of dread. It's fresh in his mind. Let's get it out."

Ducky shook his head. "I don't like it. He's in shock. It's ugly what he lived through. Besides, I think Gibbs would want to be here."

Fornell shook his head. "McGee will probably open better without him here. Sometimes, it's hard to talk around the people you care about the most."

"Getting a little ahead of yourself, Tobias." Gibbs stood behind them with a fresh sling holding his shoulder in place.

Fornell turned. "It might be easier for him to talk without you."

"Well, that's not going to happen."

"Jethro, wait a day."

Gibbs shook his head. "Tobias is right about this. We do it now."

They walked in quietly, but it was clear from the tension in McGee's shoulder that he knew they were here. Still, he didn't turn in their direction. He stared as if mesmerized by the night sky. They moved around the bed until they were in his line of sight. McGee's face was deeply bruised. It was all Fornell could do to not wince at the sight of him.

Gibbs sat in front of him. "Can you talk to us about what happened?"

McGee blinked and shifted his gaze so he wasn't looking at Gibbs.

"We can wait until tomorrow if you'd prefer."

McGee's face didn't move.

Gibbs looked up. "Duck, I guess you were right. We'll wait a day."

He started to get up when McGee spoke in a low voice. "She wouldn't help me until I promised to put her on TV. Told her I would call Oprah."

Gibbs settled back into the chair. "Miss Virginia?"

He nodded.

"Sounds she wasn't exactly a good citizen."

McGee furrowed his brows. "I kept begging her to call 911, but she wanted the rescue to be all hers. I couldn't move and she wouldn't listen."

The helplessness in the memory hung in the air.

Fornell leaned forward. "We found the bolt cutters she used to get your cuffs off."

McGee winced. "She got me to my feet and into the kitchen. I asked for knives. I think I knew what was coming. Then she disappeared. Told she was getting a sweater…it was like we were off to the park or something. He was already down the stairs at that point. I could hear her trying to reason with him."

"Take your time, Tim."

McGee closed his eyes. "I had two steak knives. I got to the living room. I remember her eyes when he dragged the knife across her neck. Then there was blood spurting everywhere, and she screamed an awful noise. So desperate. Running, bumping into things…into me."

Gibbs rubbed a hand across his face and waited.

McGee opened his eyes. "Ziva taught me how to throw. One steak knife was in him and then he was on top of me. I had a knife and he had a knife…I don't remember the rest."

"He beat you up. Do you remember when that happened?"

He started to shake his head, but groaned from the pain. Finally, he said, "I froze in the backseat of the car. Freezing to death is horrible…but then I woke up in the laundry room. Everything hurt. That's when I felt the bruises."

Fornell nodded at Gibbs. "Lobanoff forgot him in the garage. My guess is he came out to have his fun, and McGee was in no condition for it. He probably beat him in frustration."

McGee's breathing quickened. "He raped me?"

Gibbs turned to Ducky. "Did you find anything?"

"There was some evidence of anal tearing, but it wasn't as violent as I anticipated. Certainly not what I would expect from a man like Lobanoff."

McGee's breathing grew ragged. "He did that to me."

"It appears so, Timothy."

Gibbs took a deep breath. "No, he didn't. Lobanoff didn't rape him."

"Jethro, the examination is quite clear—"

"It was me, Duck. McGee and I…we had intercourse the night before he was kidnapped."

Gibbs leaned over to McGee, ignoring Ducky and Fornell's stunned silence. "He didn't hurt you like that. Ducky said it wasn't violent so it had to be what happened between the two of us. It's natural for there to be some tearing the first time you have anal intercourse."

Tim met his eyes for the first time. "Are you sure?"

There seemed to be no place on McGee that wasn't bruised and so Gibbs placed a hand lightly on his face. "I promise you."

"I'm so glad he's dead."

The men looked at one another. Gibbs kept his hand on McGee's cheek. "He's alive or he was when he went into surgery."

McGee seemed to deflate under his touch. He closed his eyes and whispered. "No more talking. Please, no more talking."

Gibbs nodded and turned to Ducky and Tobias. "He needs to rest."

Once outside, the three men walked in silence until Gibbs spotted an open room. They followed him in and he shut the door. "Say what you have to say."

Fornell shook his head. "I'm too stunned to say a single damn thing."

"Really? 'Cause I thought it was particularly clever when you brought up Lobanoff having 'his fun' with McGee. Right in front of him you said that. What the hell!"

"Oh, okay. Well, is that more egregious than sleeping with your subordinate? I know you haven't been doing it for a while 'cause it was his first time, right? So, apparently you were waiting for that moment when he was most vulnerable—'

Gibbs swung at him with his good arm, but Fornell was able to block it easily. Ducky stepped between them. "Enough!"

He pushed Gibbs back and turned to Fornell. "You have what you needed to say, Tobias. It's time to go."

Fornell shook his head in disgust and walked out. Gibbs pushed Ducky away and went to stand at the window. Ducky waited a few moments. "Tobias didn't mean any of that. You took him by surprise. We're all so very tired."

Gibbs sighed. "I took advantage."

"I don't think so. I've watched you hold him at arm's length for eight years. Never understood it. He's the most loyal, endearing kid and you wouldn't let him get close. I've had two theories about that. One was that he reminded you of someone you lost and the other was that you were in love with him. Frankly, I'd always leaned toward the first theory."

"Do we have to do this, Duck?"

"You were both vulnerable and he had just experienced his first sexual encounter with a man. You can't beat yourself up over this. It was inevitable."

Gibbs looked at him. "The morning he was kidnapped, he told me he was in love with me and I didn't respond. Later in the car, I was telling him that he didn't know what he was feeling when Lobanoff rammed us. There are layers and layers to how I'm responsible to what happened to him."

"Oh Jethro. I knew that Timothy's trauma would be a journey, but please don't do this. I know you. You'll withdraw, maybe disappear. Don't do that to him or the rest of us."

"I'm probably the worst thing for him right now."

"No!" Ducky shook his head. "You're not getting off that easy. He needs you. You're not running away from him."

Gibbs sighed. "I slept with him, Duck."

"Yes, you did. It turns out that you're every bit a human being, my friend."

"It was the wrong thing to do."

"I think you love him, Jethro. And I believe that your biggest failing is your unwillingness to tell him." Ducky shook his head at him and walked out.

…

Fornell was in a waiting room on a different floor when Ducky found him. Tobias put up a hand. "I'm too tired for a lecture right now. Jethro and I will fix this when we're damned good and ready."

"I'm not here about that. I want an update on Lobanoff."

"Good. Join me. I'm waiting for the same thing. I hope to hell he died during surgery."

"I won't argue with you. A trial would be very rough for Timothy."

Fornell closed his eyes and sighed. "Especially if the defense gets a hold of info about Gibbs' relationship with him. It makes it look like McGee might've had a consensual relationship with Lobanoff."

"Tobias, would you really deny either of them happiness even if they found it in an unlikely time and place?"

He sighed. "No. Hell, my own brother is gay. I was just surprised…shocked, actually. Maybe, I'm mad too. I was surprised that Lobanoff got the jump on them. Clearly, they were distracted."

Well, for heaven's sakes don't say that to Gibbs. He feels bad enough as it is."

"I imagine he does."

Tobias…" Ducky gave him a warning look.

"No worries. I've done enough damage. I'll leave it alone."

A surgeon came out in his scrubs and the two men stood up. "Did he make it, Doc?"

"Just barely. His liver is ruined."

Ducky stepped forward. "Will he qualify for a transplant?"

The surgeon shrugged. "He's the right age. He's healthy. We've put him on the list."

"He's a murderer!" Fornell said, his arms in the air.

"He's not convicted, Tobias. Until then, he's a viable candidate for a transplant."

"He killed four women and a man, kidnapped a man, and put four men in the hospital. This is going to be a death penalty case."

The surgeon looked at Ducky. "Please explain medical ethics to him. I haven't slept in 36 hours."

Fornell made a face at the surgeon's retreating back and said in a low voice. "And I haven't had more than two hours sleep in four nights, you arrogant son of a bitch."

"Tobias!"

…..

Gibbs woke when the early morning sun streamed through the hospital window. He lifted his head from McGee's bed. His back and neck protested another night spent in a chair. He groaned his age and ran fingers through his hair. He looked down at McGee and found him looking back at him. "I didn't mean to wake you, Tim."

McGee didn't respond. He just watched Gibbs carefully.

"You're going to be okay. It's bad now, but it's going to get better."

Tim furrowed his brows. "How many died? What were all of their names? When I close my eyes, I can only see Miss Virginia. I remember Mary was his first, but I can't remember their names. Who was the girl who got shot when I didn't get out of the car fast enough? I want to remember all of them."

"That's no good, Tim."

McGee studied him again. "What if I never told you about Lobanoff? I thought that was the right thing to do. What if it would've been better to handle it myself?"

Gibbs patted his cheek. "I tried to do this yesterday with Ducky. If I can't blame myself for everything, you can't either. Lobanoff was a monster waiting for his moment. Neither one of us could've known."

"You told them we had intercourse."

The frankness of his tone took Gibbs by surprise. "I couldn't let them think you'd been raped if you hadn't been. I couldn't let you think that either."

Tim watched him closely. "It was just intercourse to you."

Gibbs couldn't meet his eyes. "They needed an accurate description of what happened between us."

McGee reached over and put his hand, bruised and chafed, on Gibbs' face. "What did happen between us?"

Gibbs closed his eyes. "I don't know, Tim. When I think about it, it feels so complicated. It was…at some moments, remarkably beautiful, and at others, an incredible lapse in judgment. I can't seem to separate one thing from another."

McGee dropped his hand. "I see."

"I care about you. I always have."

"Yeah, I've always cared about you too, Boss."

He winced. "I wish I knew what else to say. I wish I knew what to do. The last thing I want is to see you get hurt."

McGee raised his battered wrists. "Hey, there's nothing left on me to hurt."

Gibbs looked down.

McGee bit his lip and then reached over and patted his knee. "It's okay, Boss. I'll be okay."

Gibbs nodded. "I'll come see you tomorrow."

"Ah, do me a favor and give me a few days. I'm sort of desperate for sleep."

He stood up. "You'll call me when you need me?"

"Yeah." McGee closed his eyes and turned away from Gibbs.

Gibbs stopped outside the room and stood at the observation window. McGee's face was turned away from him, but Gibbs felt as if he could see him clearly. The young man was in great pain, and he realized that he, as much as Lobanoff, was the cause of it.

….

The laptop lay unopened on the bed next to him. He'd had left it there hoping he'd get interested in engaging with online friends, but he couldn't imagine what to say to them anymore. He heard the door open behind him and he turned his head slowly.

Ducky smiled. "You're looking good today."

"As compared to what?" McGee turned back to stare at the ceiling.

"They're going to release you tomorrow."

"It's about time."

"Did you meet with the Trauma Counselor today?"

McGee swallowed. "I meet with him every day. You know that."

"He wishes you would open up more."

"I'm processing my kidnapping. Following all the steps necessary to get back to work."

"You have a lot going on, Timothy."

McGee sighed and turned to look at the darkened window.

"Has he come to see you?"

"Who?"

"You know to whom I am referring." Ducky opened the shade.

"I'm not good company."

"He's waiting for your call."

"Well, that's not going to happen, Ducky."

"Timothy-"

McGee put up a hand. "I just…I can't. Please Ducky, I respect you so much, but I can't talk about it."

"Okay. Whatever you say. You know I am here to talk whenever you're ready."

He nodded.

"In fact, I want you to stay at my home for a week or two. Just until you're feeling shipshape."

No. I'm going home alone."

"You know Timothy, there was a time when you wouldn't have dared say no to me."

"I'm not being disrespectful. I just want to be alone."

"Just when you need people the most. It worries me."

"I know how to take care of myself."

"Yes, you've been taking notes from him. Say nothing about your feelings. Keep it all buried inside."

"Ducky, please be the one pleasant moment in my day. Please don't push."

Ducky sat down on the bed and patted his leg. "I wish so very much to help you."

"And if I knew what that looked like, I would tell you. I know you're someone I can count on."

"You have a lot of people in your life like that."

"Not as many as I thought actually."

"You're wrong about him, Timothy."

"I'm getting tired. How about I call you later this week. We'll have coffee." McGee turned away from Ducky and closed his eyes.

…..

He went through the house, checking the basement and upstairs before finding Gibbs sitting on his back deck. "Hey Boss!"

Gibbs turned his head. "DiNozzo."

"What are you doing out here?"

"Just watching the grass grow. How's your rehab?"

"I'm going to be ready for duty in a couple of weeks. How's your shoulder?"

Gibbs nodded. "Good. It's time to get back to work."

Tony sat down in a lawn chair. "I know. I'm climbing the walls at home."

"McGee? How's Tim?"

"Funny you ask, Boss. It used to be when you knew exactly how McGee was doing. A few weeks ago, the two of you were joined at the hip."

"Don't give me a headache, DiNozzo. Just tell me how he is. He's staying with Ducky, right?"

"Nope. He turned Ducky down cold."

Gibbs frowned at him. "Who's staying with him?"

"Nobody."

"What the hell? He doesn't matter to you?"

"You're kidding, right? I've tried everything. I go over every day. Sometimes, he doesn't let me in. When he does, he only lets me stay for a few minutes. Most of the time, he's not there."

"Where is he going, Tony?"

"Well, I put the Israeli on that problem yesterday. Turns out he's hanging out with Fornell. Seems our buddy, Tobias, is obsessed with keeping Lobanoff off the transplant list."

"It takes months, even years to get a liver."

"It's pretty complicated, Boss. There are a lot of factors. He could potentially get a liver before trial. Fornell is trying to get him to trial as fast as possible. The only way to get him off the list is to get Lobanoff the death penalty. Tim went before the grand jury today. Ziva and Ducky are with him."

Gibbs stood. "Why didn't anybody call me?"

"Nobody knows what the hell is going on! Why aren't you talking to him? If I'd known there was a problem, I could've pushed harder. Ducky knows what's going on, but he won't talk to me. So now I'm here and I'm not leaving until you tell me something."

Gibbs rubbed his face and then dragged his chair closer to Tony. "It's not my story to tell. Only he can tell you. I haven't been good for him, Tony, and he needs you now."

"We're still a team, aren't we?"

"That's what I'm hoping for."

Tony frowned. "You say you're not good for him. I don't know what that means, Boss."

"I screwed up, and I gotta' figure out how to fix it."

Tony got up. "I think you better do that, Boss, because I can't fix something I don't understand."

…

Gibbs paced the sidewalk for a moment before going up to the door. It had been bad the last time they talked, and it was time to fix it. Finally, Fornell stepped out the front door and gestured to him. Then he disappeared inside the house. Gibbs cursed and followed him inside. Fornell was in the kitchen starting some coffee. They stood for a few moments regarding each other silently while the coffee finished. Fornell took a couple of mugs out of the cupboard, poured, and handed one to Gibbs. "I was an ass."

"Yup. I was an idiot."

"We good?"

Gibbs sipped. "There was a grand jury today."

"He did fine. They indicted. I stay up nights picturing that son of a bitch getting a liver while someone decent person gets passed over. The system is screwed up."

"Yeah."

"He asked me for a job."

Gibbs focused on his coffee. "What did you say?"

"Are you kidding? He's talent, integrity, and genius rolled up in a single package. I'd give him a 30% raise, do his laundry, and then drive him to work and back home again every day. I dream about agents like him. Of course, I don't dream about him like you dream about him."

"Tobias!"

"Oh, relax. I told him no. I said that you should never leave a job with things unfinished. It follows you. I told him that when you and he were right again, I would take him in a heartbeat."

Gibbs visibly relaxed against the counter.

"You fell in love, Jethro. I don't think I've never really seen that happen to you, and I knew you through two marriages. It took me a few days to see it, but now I do. Now, you have to figure out how to not screw it up."

"I had hoped you'd have the good sense to stay out of this."

Fornell shook his head. "I care about you, Jethro, and I care about the kid too."

"He did okay?"

"He was as sober as a judge. Didn't show any embarrassment. He was terrific. Couldn't have asked for more. Then he went into the john and threw up for ten minutes."

Gibbs winced.

"He's holding too much inside."

"You gotta' help him through that."

"No, Jethro, you have to help him through that. He's holding things in because he's following your example. Besides, the stuff that happened between you is all mixed in with what he faced with Lobanoff."

"I'm the last person he needs."

Fornell rolled his eyes. "You're afraid. Congratulations. It's means you're mortal like the rest of us."

…..

McGee answered the door in sweats and a t-shirt. He blinked at Gibbs. "It's after midnight."

"Then why aren't you sleeping?" The TV blared in the background.

"Trying to figure out how to build a boat without the basement or the bourbon."

"Very funny. Gonna' invite me in."

McGee stepped aside. "What are you doing here, Boss?"

"I told you to call when you needed me." The only light in the room was coming from the TV.

"I'm doing fine."

Gibbs picked up the empty wine bottle. "Sure looks like it."

Tim took it from him and headed into the kitchen. "It took three nights for me to finish one bottle. I'm not drunk."

"There was a grand jury today."

"I know." He called from the kitchen.

"I wasn't there. I should've been there."

"I did fine."

Gibbs sat down on the couch. "You're punishing me and I deserve it, but-"

McGee reappeared. "Punishing you! I'm not punishing you! I'm not calling you because I'm trying to stop feeling things for you. I needed the space."

"You asked Fornell for a job."

McGee sank into a chair across from him. "I thought it would help. I thought it would be better for both of us. I figured you would be relieved."

Gibbs shook his head. "No. I would not be relieved to lose you."

"Sorry. I put that badly. I just thought it would be easier on both of us."

Gibbs looked down at his hands. "I dream about you, Tim. I dream about what it's like to touch you and taste you. I dream about kissing you everywhere and the sounds you make when I tease your nipples. I dream about sleeping next to you and when I wake up and my bed is empty, I feel an ache I haven't felt since I lost Shannon."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you've convinced yourself that I don't have feelings for you and you're wrong. I want this badly, but I'm scared. I'm scared that I'll screw this up. I've had too many bad marriages and all of them were my fault."

"So we do nothing. We just live with a bunch of 'what ifs'."

Gibbs leaned forward. "Yeah, that was my plan, but that's not working either, is it?"

"I go work for Fornell. The distance will help us."

"Do you want to work for Fornell?"

"Not really."

Gibbs stood up. "Tim, come here."

McGee shook his head.

"Please, I need to know how you're doing."

McGee got up slowly and let Gibbs pull him in. Gibbs snaked his hands under Tim's t-shirt and rested his face in his neck. "The cuts are healing."

Tim sighed. "I'll have scars."

"Badges of courage, Tim, not scars," he murmured into his neck.

"Nightmares?"

Tim nodded.

"That's why you weren't sleeping when I showed up."

"I'm doing the best I can."

"I'm going to help you sleep tonight."

"Boss-"

"Tonight, I'm Jethro."

Gibbs led him into the bedroom. He pulled McGee's t-shirt up over his head. Gibbs pulled his own shirt off. Gently, he pushed him onto the bed and lay down next to him. He too Tim's hand and ran it over a scar on his side. "You've felt this before. Did it feel ugly to you?"

"No," he whispered.

"What do you think when you feel it?"

"It's part of your strength, the mark of a warrior."

Gibbs traced the cuts on McGee's body. "You're a warrior too. You survived all of this and more."

Tim closed his eyes, his breathing ragged. Gibbs pulled his face in, kissing the moisture on his face. "The stronger you feel, the fewer nightmares you'll have."

Gibbs found his mouth and Tim opened to meet him. For a while, they kissed, hands moving lightly over the scars they both shared. Finally Tim pulled away. "We can have tonight, Jethro. I need tonight, but if you want me in your arms again after tonight, you'll have to come to me with certainty in your heart. I won't have anything less."

"I promise you, Tim."

"Then make love to me, Jethro. If this is our last night, we need to make some memories."

Tim slid out of his sweatpants and went to work on Gibbs' pants.

…..

Tim woke to an empty bed. Fear gripped his gut. The night had been so perfect that he'd been sure that Gibbs would wake with confidence that this was right. "Jethro!"

He got up and padded naked into his living room and then his kitchen. The tiny apartment was empty. He cursed and slammed his palm into the refrigerator. He was about to walk away when he saw a note attached under a kitchen magnet. He opened it.

"It was a beautiful night. I haven't felt that close to anyone in a long time. I have to be gone for a while. A couple of weeks at least. I need to put this together in my head. You were right when you said that I could only come to you again when I was sure in my heart that this was right. You deserve that.

Jethro

…..


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Hello! Sorry it has been so long. I have been dealing with migraines and so my writing has been on the backburner until my head feels better. I took a look at what I had written for the last chapter and realized I had written 16 pages and was still only half done. Therefore, the last chapter has to be two chapters. Sorry. I am trying to work out the conflict of Gibbs taking on McGee as a life partner. My gut tells me that it would be a very complicated decision for him because of his own history with relationships and other things. I hope you have the patience to hang with me. Let me know what you are thinking. Sheila

P.S. Remember Wilson from the story Gibbs told McGee in Chapter 4?

The Mistaken Wolf

Chapter 11

The house was ridiculous. It was one of those architectural wonders that started on a hill and ended on a beautiful beach. Gibbs could see part of a pristine pool on one of the back decks. He felt as 'out of place as a whore in church'. He grinned a bit as he remembered Franks and his crude sayings.

The door opened and Joe Wilson broke into a grin. "Hey Gunny! I didn't think I'd ever see you again."

Gibbs stepped forward and hugged him warmly. "It's been too long. My fault."

Wilson stepped away and regarded him. "You look good, Jethro."

"Nice lie, Joe. I look like a thousand miles of bad road."

"Well, I sure liked traveling that road, if you recall."

A man stood behind Joe, his arms folded. He was dark and handsome. "Joe?"

Joe turned. "Jethro, this is my husband, Lalit."

Gibbs extended a hand. "Nice to meet you."

Lalit shook his hand warily and turned to Joe. "He is as you said he would be."

Gibbs looked at the two men. "What am I missing?"

Wilson dropped a kiss on Lalit's cheek. "Go invent something new. We'll be fine."

The handsome man disappeared down the stairs.

Gibbs looked at Wilson. "Married?"

"Yes, Jethro, it's legal in some states. Don't you read newspapers?"

"I've never heard a man refer to another man as his husband before."

Wilson raised an eyebrow. "Clearly. You want some lunch?"

Gibbs shrugged.

"Anita," Wilson called. A beautiful young woman with long blonde hair appeared. "My friend, Jethro, and I would like lunch by the pool. Chicken with vegetables would be nice. Lalit will have sag paneer in his lab, as usual. Jethro likes a good steak so you better make sure we have some nice ribeyes for dinner this evening."

Gibbs followed him outside. It was California so it was impossibly sunny, but it was nice to look down on a beautiful beach and hear the surf roar. Gibbs took it all in. The house. The pool. The beach. He raised his arms. "How the hell, Joe? I mean it. How the hell? You're living like a rock star."

Joe grinned. "On my own, I'd be living in a one bedroom in South Central L.A. I happened to fall in love with a guy who's a software engineer. A real genius. Some times, I think all he does is print money down in his lab."

"On the phone you said you're running a community center."

Joe sat down at a glass table. "Yeah, I'm running a place about forty minutes from here. Real tough neighborhood. Lots of kids without dads. Some without parents of any kind. We try to provide an alternative to joining a gang. It's hard work, but I love it. Wouldn't leave it for the world. You're still with NCIS?"

Gibbs nodded. "Yeah. You know me. Who's better to hunt predators than another predator?"

"Yeah, you're a real bad guy, Jethro." Wilson squinted into the sun. "It's been almost twenty years. What brings you here?"

"I'm in trouble, Joe. Big trouble. And somehow I got it figured that if anyone can help me work it out, it's you."

Joe shook his head. "I can already see it. You fell in love, didn't you?"

"I don't know."

"It's not a woman. That wouldn't bring you here. Plus, I heard from friends that you've been subsidizing divorce lawyers on the East Coast for a number of years now."

Gibbs's mouth twitched and he looked out on the beach. "He's younger. Sweet. Loyal and as brave as they come. He's worked with me for 8 years. I'm his boss. It's all wrong, but I can't seem to…I'm a hostage to this thing."

Joe nodded at Anita as she brought two beautiful plates of food and set them down in front of them. "What does he say?"

Gibbs sighed. "He says he loves me."

Joe ate a piece of chicken. "Oh, I get it. You're here because you need a best man. I'll check my calendar. What are you thinking? Hawaii or Vermont?"

Gibbs slapped the table. "Dammit, Joe! I need help here. I don't know what to do!"

"And you thought I would? We haven't seen each other in almost twenty years. I'm not your best friend anymore. You're here because you can't live without him, and you're hoping I can help you figure out how to live with him."

"I don't know."

"So this is how we're going to play it. You're going to sit there and be a statue while I try to guess what you're thinking."

"Maybe, this wasn't such a good idea." Gibbs started to get up.

"Sit down! You owe me and you're not going anywhere. Here's what's going to happen. I'm shortstaffed at the center. You're coming to work with me this week and maybe next week too. The boys I work with need men they can look up to and you qualify."

Gibbs stared down at the table.

"At night, we'll come home and drink expensive beer and you can think about this sweet kid of yours. One of these nights you're going to realize you're relieved that he's not here or you're going to start to ache for him. It'll be in that moment that you'll know the right answer."

Gibbs scowled. "You're going to make me play basketball with kids?"

Joe smirked. "Or I could make you play jump rope with the girls. Your choice. Gunny."

…

McGee was pulling a t-shirt over his head as he walked into the kitchen when he spotted Tony sitting on his couch. He jerked back and cursed. "Dammit, Tony! What the hell were you thinking? You don't think I'm a little bit nervous two weeks after a kidnapping! If I were wearing my gun, you'd be dead! Knock for Chris'sakes."

Tony waited until he was done ranting. "I knock and you don't answer the door or you do and you don't let me in. Had to take things into my own hands. What are you up to, today?"

"Busy," he said, ducking into the kitchen to compose himself.

"Not too busy for a friend, are you?"

Tim came out finally, looking a little flushed. "I'm meeting with Fornell."

"Then I'm going with you."

McGee sighed. "I don't need you to do that. I'm just fine."

Tony sat forward. "Well, I'm not."

"Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do. I just need a little space."

"You've had space. You know Gibbs left town?"

McGee closed his eyes. "I figured."

"You know why?"

"Why does he ever do what he does?"

Tony stood up. "What the hell happened between the two of you? I saw this when I was in the hospital. You're angry with him. You're never angry with him. What the hell, Tim?"

McGee looked away.

"Hey, I'm your friend."

"I'm not sure you can understand, Tony. It's really complicated."

DiNozzo put his hands on his shoulders. "I'm not going to judge you."

Tim looked for a long moment. Then he nodded. "I fell in love with him, Tony. I fell in love with Gibbs."

Tony stepped back. "I don't understand."

"We were together intimately…a few times. He had an attraction to me, and I didn't know….but then Lobanoff happened, and…we acted on it."

Tony stared. "You and Boss? Seriously?"

McGee ran a hand through his hair and started pacing. "Oh boy, uh, I knew this wasn't going to go well. Listen Tony, you'll be happy to know it's not going to go anywhere. He rejected me. Left town."

"You sure he doesn't have feelings for you? Gibbs would not treat you like a one night stand."

"It doesn't matter what he feels because he's all wrapped up in the reasons why this can't happen: the rules, his past history with relationships, the fact that he's the boss."

"Those are pretty good reasons, Tim. I mean, it's Gibbs."

"Listen Tony, you should probably go. The secret's out. Mystery solved. I gotta' find Fornell. He's thinking of taking me on as an agent. He was waiting for Gibbs to weigh in, and I think by leaving town, the boss really made himself clear on the issue."

Tony shook his head slowly. "I'm not going anywhere, and you're not going to the FBI. Yes, I am…surprised but nothing's changed. You're my probie, and I'm not losing you to Fornell."

"Tony—"

"No! Get your skinny ass moving. I checked your fridge when I came in. You don't have a damn thing to eat in there. I'm taking you out to breakfast, and we're going to talk this thing out."

…

Gibbs leaned over the railing and looked out on the setting sun. He heard splashing in the pool and turned to see a kid cannonball into the water. There was a line of kids behind him waiting for their turn. Lalit stood at the edge and clapped after each effort. Gibbs smiled and shook his head. This entire week had been a series of dichotomous moments. He spent each day on the tension filled streets of South Central with kids who were both angry and eager for attention. Then he returned each night to a home of unimagined luxury. He ate meals with two men who came from completely different worlds, but shared a deep love and respect for one another. It was hard for him to reconcile all of these ideas especially when he found himself imagining how well McGee would fit into this picture.

A bottle of beer appeared in front of him and he took it. Wilson leaned over the railing beside him and sipped from his longneck. "I bet you thought it would be a quiet weekend. Two weekends a month, we take five kids from the center for the weekend. Lalit loves kids. It's how I met him. He came to the community center looking to tutor kids. I'd seen a thousand well-being people like him in the past. Figured he'd last one, maybe two weeks before disappearing, but he never stopped coming. It got so I'd watch the clock all day waiting for him to arrive. Nothing in our lives has been similar, but we each have a passion for making the world a better place."

Gibbs nodded. "It's been an amazing week."

"Do you miss him yet?"

He looked away. "I'm not sure that's enough."

"Tell me about him."

Gibbs was unable to suppress a smile. "He looks maybe 7, 8 years younger than he is. He's a genius too. I think he could teach a computer to tap dance if you asked him to. He could have a house like this with the talents he has, but it's not what he wants. He's an admiral's kid. Found that out before I hired him, and I was sure he was going to be some entitled little shit, but he was just the opposite. Worked as hard as anyone I've ever seen. He was so awkward in the field in the beginning, ut he just never gave up. He has such a deep sense of justice and he's loyal to everyone. I threw everything at him to try and break him, but he never cracked. One day, a few years after I hired him, we were on a stakeout and I realized that I was more interested in what he looked like naked than the subject we were watching. Very disconcerting. I really pulled away from him for a while. I was really angry at myself for allowing those feelings."

"What happened, Jethro?"

Gibbs shook his head. "It's a long story. The short version is that he kissed a man and got himself a stalker, and one night he was feeling bad, and me and half a bottle of bourbon started telling him about you. I wanted him to feel better. Then I was kissing him. Tried to set boundaries. The stalker started killing. Four people dead and four injured."

"I saw it on ZNN."

"I tried protecting him, but the attraction was so strong, and we got distracted by it."

"I remember seeing the picture of him on the news when he was kidnapped. Didn't realize it was your case. I thought it was an FBI operation."

"Joint operation. I let my guard down and he got taken. This psycho, Lobanoff, had him for two days. It was bad but he survived but just barely."

"How's he doing?"

"Angry…struggling. Every time I want to help, I get too close. If I let it happen again, it has to be forever. That's how deep this thing is. So I got scared and I ran."

"You left him alone?"

Gibbs blinked and looked at Wilson. "God no! My team- we're a family. The troops have been mobilized. They may not know what's going on, but McGee's going to be surrounded by more support than he's going to know what to do with."

"That's a pretty intense story, Jethro."

"Yeah, it is."

"Do you know why he loves you?"

The two of them were interrupted as one of the kids erupted in a wail after bumping his head on the side of the pool. Gibbs started toward him but Wilson pulled him back. "Watch."

Lalit waded in, fully clothed, and picked up the nine year-old boy, comforting him. The boy calmed while Lalit talked to him softly, and then jumped out of his arms and back into the fray.

"Now, you can see why I love Lalit. Now I'll tell you why McGee loves you."

Gibbs shifted against the railing. "Joe."

"I watched you all week. You're good with kids, but more than that you're a man of honor with loads of integrity. You never told one of these kids something that wasn't real or that you wouldn't follow through and do. They're used to being lied to, and they got a bullshit meter like you wouldn't believe. Every day we've gone, the crowd of kids looking for you grows. They know you were the real thing."

"I'm a son of a bitch."

"Believe me, I know that first hand, but you're also a good person- a man who gets things done, a man to be admired. You've saved lives and taken really bad guys off the streets. When you called, I had Lalit do some research on you. Your team is the best NCIS has to offer. Your people would follow you into the gates of hell. You've been given countless commendations, and have yet to show up for a single award ceremony."

Gibbs shook his head. "On paper, I'm that guy, but since Kelly and Shannon, I've screwed up every relationship I've had. I'm distant and cold. I push them away until they have no choice but to leave. I could put you in touch with my ex-wives and the women who never quite got that far. I don't doubt that they all have voodoo dolls with my name stitched on."

Joe nodded. "Put them in touch with me. I'd love to show them my doll."

"I'm tired of hurting people, Joe. The thought of breaking his heart any more deeply than I already have…terrifies me."

Joe sighed and took the empty beer bottle from him. "You're going to need another week here at least."

…..

McGee looked up from his computer to see Ziva letting herself in. "Ziva! What are you doing?"

She came in wearing tights, running shoes, and an old sweatshirt. "It's time for your run."

"What? Why didn't you knock?"

"Tony says you're being obst-acle, obst-ained, obstetric—"

"Obstinate!"

She turned on her heel and pointed a finger. "Yes! You are being difficult, and so we are as he said, 'forced to forgo niceties'."

"Ziva, you shouldn't intrude on a friend's privacy."

She dropped onto his couch. "It is what has to happen to get your attention these days."

"I'm sorry. I've had a lot on my mind."

"I know. You went through a lot and this is why you need friends. I also know that there is more going on than just your trauma."

McGee froze.

She nodded. "Yes, I can see that it's there. Don't worry. I don't know what it is. Tony knows, but he will not share it with me. I believe it has to do with Gibbs, and I do not understand why he has left town. This whole thing is very exacerbating!"

"You mean, exasperating."

She sat up, waving her arms. "Do you see? I am so frustrated my English has left me."

He went over and sat beside her. "It's hard to talk about what happened."

She slid her arm through his and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I would do anything for you."

He took a deep breath. "I would like to keep it a secret, but it's going to effect you too. You might as well know."

"Yes, tell me."

"I fell in love with the boss, and uh, it didn't work out. He left town to get his head together, and I have to figure out if it's possible for us to work together or if I have to find a new place to work."

She wrapped her arms around him tightly. "You're not leaving us. We won't allow it. Gibbs won't allow it either. I know him."

"But I don't know if I can handle it. I just feel so empty right now."

She patted his cheek. "Oh McGee, you're breaking my heart."

"Tony was so shocked by all this, but you don't seem surprised."

She shrugged. "Love has nothing to do with gender. There is so much to love about both of you. It isn't only women that can see that."

He sighed. "Ziva, I don't know what to do."

"You have to let us help us."

"By running? You're going to help me by running with me?"

"Yes, we need you strong again. We're not a team without you, McGee. Don't worry. We'll fix this."

He pulled away. "Do you think this is easy? Do you think all I need is a few pats on the cheek? I'm not simple, sweet McGee anymore. I'm not your little brother or Tony's geek or Abby's chew toy. I'm a man and I've been destroyed…twice in as many weeks."

"McGee?"

He backed away from her. "None of you is listening to me! It's all so simple to you. McGee's got a little crush. He'll get over it. You don't understand. I wake up 5-6 times a night in tears. Half the time, I've been dreaming about Lobanoff and the other half, I'm dreaming about Gibbs. Sometimes, the sadness in my chest is so heavy, I can't breathe. I can't concentrate. I can't work. I can't do anything. So don't tell me to not worry. Don't tell me you can fix this, Ziva."

She got up slowly. "You're right and I'm so sorry. Sometimes, when you love someone, you feel their pain, and you hope for an easy solution. I should've been more sensitive."

He looked down. "And I shouldn't have gone off on one of my best friends…especially when she was trying to help."

She walked over and wrapped her arms around his middle. "Today, we'll just walk. You're right. Your chest is too heavy for running. We'll walk and if you choose to talk, I'll just listen."

"I was feeling sorry for myself."

She shook her head. "You were being honest."

He sighed. "I give up. I'll go get some sweatpants and a t-shirt."

…..

He traced his fingers lightly down McGee's face from his forehead to his chin. Eyelids opened and he found himself staring into those beautiful green eyes. "Good morning, you."

The kid smiled at him, and Gibbs felt his heart swell. "It feels so good to wake up with someone."

"Just anyone?"

"No," he chuckled. "Not anyone. Just you."

"Glad you figured things out, Boss. I missed you."

"Me too." Gibbs slid his fingers down Tim's throat and held it.

"It's forever, you know. It has to be."

"I know." Gibbs massaged his neck deeply.

"It's getting hard to breathe," McGee said.

"That's what forever means with a man like me." Gibbs' grip tightened around his throat.

Then Gibbs looked into his eyes again, but they didn't open. "Tim?"

He put his hand on McGee's cheek again, but this time it was cold. "Tim? Tim! Tim!"

Gibbs sat up in bed, breathing hard. He reached up, scrubbing at his face; trying to rid himself of the nightmare. When his breathing calmed, he looked at the clock and it showed 3:30 a.m. He climbed out of bed and grabbed his cell phone. He walked through the through the large, dark house, and slid open the door to the deck. The only sound was the roar of the tide. The Pacific Ocean had a majesty to it that Gibbs appreciated. Most of his off time was spent leaning over the railing, staring into its depths. He hit numbers and put the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Duck, it's me."

"Jethro! How is your retreat going?"

"Fine. How's McGee?"

"As well as can be expected, I suppose."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"He's been through a great deal as you well know. Recovery takes time."

"In other words, he's struggling."

"What else would you expect? One of the key persons to his recovery isn't present."

"Duck, I just dreamt that I strangled him to death. You really think I ougta' be there!"

"I suspect your dream was less about your feelings for him and more about your feelings about yourself."

"Whatever!"

"It is always so stimulating to have intellectual discourse with you."

"You wanna' retract your fangs, Duck. I need help here."

"We're all spending time with him. He's opened up enough to share with his team about his feelings for you. I know how private you are, but he needs to be honest with them."

"I don't give a flying crap about my privacy. He can say whatever he wants to whomever he wants as long as it helps him."

"You would do anything for him, wouldn't you?"

"Of course, I would. Who do you think I am?"

"I think you're a man who deserves some happiness."

"Ducky."

"Just tell me you don't love him and I'll stop."

"I'll hurt him."

"You'll love him. Stop being such a stubborn fool."

"You call me if he needs me, Duck."

"Oh, call yourself!" The phone clicked in his ear, and Gibbs yelled curses into the surf.

"Jethro!"

He turned to find Joe and Lalit standing there on the deck in nothing but boxer shorts. Joe winced. "What the hell are you doing up so early in the morning?"

The wind whipped at his hair as Gibbs pointed at his cell. "There is a Scottish born medical examiner back in D.C. nursing a death wish!"

Then he stomped past his bewildered hosts and into the house. Lalit looked at Joe. "Is it normal for Marines to refer to their friends as Ducks?"

…..

Fornell saw him step out of the elevator in the FBI building and came toward him. "You don't have to be here, you know."

McGee nodded. "I want to see what he has to say."

"He and his lawyer out back in the conference room."

"I thought he was still in the hospital."

"He is, but they shot him full of steroids so he could get out for this meeting."

Over Fornell's shoulder, McGee saw Tony standing outside the conference room. "What's he doing here?"

He shrugged. "Jethro's out of town. I'm not letting you in there without backup. Who knows what's on that asshole's mind?"

McGee pursed his lips and ignored Tony as he waved to him.

"Speaking of your boss, what have you heard from him?"

"Nothing." McGee brushed past Fornell. He tried to evade Tony at the door but the older agent grabbed his arm and whispered urgently in his ear. McGee finally relaxed and nodded at his friend.

Inside, Lobanoff sat with his lawyer. He'd lost weight and there were deep circles under his eyes. When he saw McGee, he nodded and smirked. McGee ignored him and sat down, letting Fornell take ownership of this meeting.

Fornell chose not to dispense any pleasantries. He focused on the lawyer and gave him a simple shrug. The lawyer sighed. "We have a proposal for you that will save you a lot of time and the taxpayers a lot of money."

Fornell cocked his head. "I'm disappointed. I was looking forward to a jury trial. So your client is ready to plead guilty to all charges 'cause that's the only deal I'm taking to the U.S. Attorney."

"My client has received some very disturbing news that changes the whole outlook of our defense. Yesterday, his doctor informed him that he tested positive for Hepatitis C. A liver transplant is no longer an option. In his current condition, my client has approximately 2-3 months to live."

Fornell slammed the table. "That's the best news I've heard all week! McGee, DiNozzo, I'm taking both of you out for the biggest steak in town."

Lobanoff shook his head. "Now who's the asshole in the room?"

"I'm looking at him," DiNozzo growled.

Lobanoff narrowed his eyes at McGee. "You're going to be a murderer now just like me, but when I die, nobody is going to put any charges on you. It's too bad 'cause I'm suffering more than any of my supposed victims did."

Tony put a hand on his arm, but McGee just shook his head in disgust.

The lawyer put up his hand. "We're not finished. Mr. Lobanoff will need hospice care and the prison ward doesn't have a humane option for him. He wouldn't get appropriate and he would suffer tremendously. We know of a program outside of D.C. offer good care and has been used for Federal prisoners in the past."

"That was for prisoners who turned state's evidence. Lobanoff has nothing to offer us, and therefore, I have nothing to give him. The thought of him suffering only makes me smile."

"I could take your blatant disregard for prisoner care to the media."

Fornell shrugged. "Knock yourself out. He's a serial murderer. We'll respond with the pictures and stories of his slain victims. Nobody's going to care, Counselor."

The lawyer looked at Lobanoff. "The truth is that we have something far more substantial to offer. Mr. Lobanoff is able to give testimony to two missing person cases that have happened in the D.C. area in the last fifteen years. He can provide you with confessions as well as the location of the victim's bodies."

Everything in the room stopped.

McGee narrowed his eyes at Lobanoff. You were killing before I met you."

Lobanoff smiled. "You weren't my first pussyboy, McGee."

Something in McGee snaped and he scrambled over the table at him, but DiNozzo grabbed him by the pants and held on. "Easy, Tim. Easy. All this asshole has left is his meanness. Don't fall for it."

Fornell glared at the lawyer. "So, let me get this straight. Lobanoff provides proof that he's even a bigger savage than we knew, and you want us to reward that with a resort setting for his final days."

"He's dying, Agent. What more do you want? He wants to leave this world with a clean slate. It's a win for everyone. Think of the families who've spent years looked for their loved ones. He can bring closure to their struggles."

"He can bring closure- shut up! He murdered people and you're talking about him like he's performing a public service by- God! Both of you make me wanna' puke. Come on McGee, DiNozzo. Let's get out of here."

"Agent Fornell, before you go, how about something to wet your appetite. One was a female in FLETC who disappeared a week before graduation. Another one was a male who left behind a wife and a baby girl."

Fornell shook his head. "You make me sick!"

He let the two NCIS agents out and slammed the door to the conference room. Then he herded them into his office. "Damn! I didn't see that coming."

Tony paced the office. "Give me an hour with that asshole, and I'll have a confession for you."

Fornell ignored him. "I know who he's talking in regards to FLETC. A 24 year old woman named Joanna Gorman disappeared before graduation. One of my people came to me a week ago with a schedule that showed that George Duggar's team including Lobanoff gave a presentation at FLETC a week before she disappeared. I got agents in the field right now trying to ascertain whether or not there was a meet and greet afterwards."

McGee looked at Fornell. "I remember presentations where we went out to eat with the agents afterwards."

"So you gather evidence and we chock that one up as Lobanoff's. We give him no deal."

"The body," McGee sighed. "Lobanoff can give us the location of the remains. It would be closure for the family."

"The answer is no! We don't give in to him." Tony's anger filled the room.

McGee glared at him. "I don't care. There is a long list of things I don't care about right now, and this is at the top. I don't care if he dies in prison or at Ritz-Carlton. If we can give closure to people, let's do it."

Fornell frowned. "McGee."

Tim shook his head. "I'm serious. I don't factor into this. Do what you want. I don't even want to know what the outcome is. Just do the right thing and leave me out of it."

Tony put a hand on his shoulder, but McGee shrugged him off. "I mean it. Leave me alone."

McGee was out the door and moving toward the elevator before either man could say another word.

Fornell turned to DiNozzo. "You think he really meant that?"

Tony shrugged. "He's exhausted. I can see it in his face. Plus, he's got some trouble with the boss."

"I know all about his trouble. You get on the phone with Gibbs and tell him to get his raggedy ass back here. McGee needs him."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "If you only knew what that meant."

"I know more than you think I do, Tony."

….


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: The story is finally at an end. I hope it satisfies. I think I'll be taking a bit of a break from posting. The semester is heating up, and I'm not sure what kind of time I'll have. I hope to keep reading at least. Please let me know how you felt about this story. Sheila

The Mistaken Wolf

Chapter 12

It was the first overcast day he'd experienced during his visit. As usual, he leaned at the railing and stared out on the ocean. The wind was strong, and he let it run through him, resisting the urge to go for a sweatshirt. Then he felt a hand on his back and he turned to find Lalit standing there with a jacket. "It is too cold to be out here without a coat, Jethro."

Gibbs might've resisted if he didn't know Lalit could be persistent. He nodded and put it on. "Where's Joe? I thought we were going to the center today."

"He had an appointment. Today is a day off."

Gibbs sighed. "The two of you were both so quiet this weekend. I think I've intruded on your hospitality long enough."

"Don't say that." Lalit let the wind run through his thick, dark hair. "It has been so nice to have you. You don't know how much Joe has enjoyed this."

Gibbs narrowed his eyes. "Something is bothering you. I can feel it."

"Jethro, do you love this Timothy?"

"It's pretty complica-"

"No! My question is simple. Do you miss him? Do you love him?"

He let out a deep breath. "Yes."

Lalit looked out on the water. "When I met Joe, I was engaged to a woman. It was to be an arranged marriage. I grew up in Pakistan, and my family is quite traditional. I resisted the attraction that happened whenever Joe came into the room. I suffered. Cried. I even stopped going to the center. I knew that I would hurt my family and a very good young woman. The pressure got to be so bad, I considered suicide."

Gibbs leaned on his elbow and watched Lalit carefully.

"I started drinking. Stopped communicating with my fiancée. Ignored my responsibilities. One night, I was quite drunk and I called him to tell him how he had ruined my life. I passed out sometime afterward. When I woke up, he was there. He'd broken in, cleaned me up, and filled my refrigerator with food. The love I felt for him when he came into my room that first day was the powerful emotion I'd ever experienced. We talked for days. I ached when he went to work and I felt such joy when he returned. We talked to my fiancée, and she was actually quite relieved. She hated the idea of entering into a loveless marriage. My family stopped talking to me for many years, but last year, my mother came to visit, and I hope she will come again this year."

"That's a very powerful story."

Lalit put a hand over Jethro's. "Please listen. A little over a year ago, Joe began to experience symptoms. He went in for exam and they found prostate cancer. I am sure you know that prostate cancer is a very tough disease. Joe went through chemo and radiation. Six months ago, his scans came back clear."

"Glad to hear it."

"Two days before you arrived, the symptoms returned. Joe's been going for tests while you've been working with the children. Last Friday, we met with the Oncologist. The cancer is back and it has spread."

"Why didn't he say anything? I would never have brought my problems here."

"Yes, but you were exactly what he needed; a chance to come full circle with a very dear friend. We've both loved having you. It has been an important distraction for him."

"How bad is it?"

Lalit rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "The doctor believes he has a year if he quits the center and devotes himself to his health full time, but, of course, he will not quit the center and I will not ask it of him."

"Oh Lalit, I am so sorry." Gibbs put his arm around the man and pulled him in. Lalit hugged him tightly.

After a moment, Lalit pulled away and wagged a finger. "You listen to me, Jethro. Love is a very precious gift. Not everyone is given this kind of love."

Gibbs nodded.

"If you love him even half as dearly as I love Joe, you must honor that gift. Can you imagine your life without this young man?"

Gibbs shook his head slowly.

Lalit's chin trembled. "Then you mustn't waste another minute without him. Forget about the complications. There will always be reasons not to love. Concentrate on how he makes your life better, how he makes you a better man. Do that for me, Jethro. Do it for Joe."

"I should say good-bye to Joe."

Lalit shook his head. "Joe is driving up the coast. He needs time to clear his head and start planning the last great adventure of his life. He'll only want to know that you have stopped fighting with your demons. You won't say goodbye now because you'll back in a couple of months with this Timothy and then every two months after that. You're family now."

Gibbs nodded. "I need to get a flight out of here."

"You're flying first class out of LAX in two hours. Anita packed your things and I'm ready with the car."

….

Tony squinted into the peephole and saw piercing blue eyes staring back at him. He winced and pulled open the door. "Boss, it's 2 a.m."

Gibbs walked past him into his living room. "I can't find McGee. He's not at his apartment and he's not answering his phone."

Tony ruffled at the hair sticking up on his head. "He's not comfortable there anymore. Too many memories of Lobanoff. He's been couch hopping until he finds a place. Probably at Ducky's tonight. And I'm sure he's not answering his phone because he thinks you're a royal asshole."

Nice, Tony."

There was a groan, and then a very disheveled Ziva wandered out of the bedroom. Gibbs raised an eyebrow at Tony and he shrugged. "What can I say, Boss, inappropriate workplace romances are all the rage these days."

Gibbs rubbed his forehead. "Okay, I deserve all of this. I really do, but I'm here to fix it now."

Ziva folded her arms. "And what exactly does that mean? What are your intentions?"

"I want him, Ziva. I love him and I'm done fighting with myself about it. I want to apologize, and ask him to take a chance on a stupid old man who has a bad history with relationships."

Ziva studied him. "That's actually kind of sweet, Gibbs. Do you mean it?"

"I can't be happy without him, and I'll do everything in my power to treat him with the love and respect he deserves."

Tony went over and wrapped his arms around Ziva. "You don't and my girlfriend is going to kiss your ass."

Gibbs sat down on the couch. "I need your help."

Tony sat down across from him. "I've never known you to back down once you've made a decision, but I gotta' know. You gotta' promise me that you'll take care of my probie for me."

"Yeah. I want that, Tony. I want to take care of him. I want to be worthy of him."

Tony looked over at Ziva. "What do you think?"

She nodded. "He'll be hard to catch, Gibbs, but we'll help you."

Tony smiled. "And I have just the plan."

…

"Come on, McGee. You promised to take us camping. Remember?"

McGee frowned at Tony. "I don't remember it that way."

Abby patted him from the backseat. "But we're going to have such a good time."

McGee sighed. They'd all descended on him 24 hours earlier with the camping idea, and fending them off had become tiresome so he'd pulled his camping gear out of storage and sent people off with lists of items to procure. Now, Tony was driving them up into the mountains of West Virginia, and McGee had had little time to do anything but react.

"McGee, will you teach me how to fish?"

He winced. "Well, I'm not really a fisherman, Ziva."

"It doesn't matter. We'll hike and, um….what else will we do, McGee?"

He shrugged. "I suppose we can go swimming or read books. Sit in front of a campfire in the evening and talk. I don't really know this area you're taking us to, Tony."

"Well, I figured we wanted a real experience so we've got a nice little spot up on the Appalachia trail. It'll be fun."

"Okay, whatever you say." McGee gave in to watching the forest thicken as they climbed altitude on the highway.

Finally, Tony drove them up a long winding dirt road while Ziva barked directions from a map she had in the backseat. They turned into a small clearing along a stream. They all piled out, and Tony immediately set them to pulling out equipment and coolers. McGee wandered over to a trail that went up further up the mountain. The outdoors had always felt like home to him. For the first time, it struck him that it was a good idea to be here. He turned back to the group. "Do you want me to show you all how to set up the tents?"

Tony smiled. "Great idea, McGoo, but we got a little problem here. Seems we forgot to get some of the groceries. Looks like some of us are going to have to go back and find a store."

McGee frowned. "I'm sure we have enough for tonight. I packed a cooler full of stuff. Let's not worry about it until the morning."

"Ah…no, we gotta' do it now. Ziva forgot her…feminine products. She can't last the night without them."

Ziva frowned at him, and Abby jumped in to offer to share her stuff when she got a swift kick in the shin. "Owww!"

"No choice, McGee. We'll be back in 90 minutes, tops."

Tim cocked his head. "Do you all have to go?"

Tony threw up his arms. "I can't pick out this stuff for Ziva, and…we need Abby's help too. No more questions, McGee! We'll be right back." He shoved a protesting Abby into the SUV and Ziva jumped in after. Within seconds, they were squealing out of there.

McGee watched them leave, and then resigned himself to the chores of setting up camp.

….

Two and a half hours later, he had set up two tents, gathered wood for a fire, collected water for washing, and secured the food in an airtight container up in a tree, but he was all alone. He looked for his cell phone, but realized that Tony hadn't pulled any of their personal gear from the truck. He had wanted to wait until they were back to show them how to build a fire, but then the sun started to set, and he had no choice but to get it blazing. He pulled some cooked noodles, wine, butter, and garlic from the food stores and thought about starting some pasta when he heard a sound coming from the creek. He turned and saw a fisherman trudging up from the creek. Safety had eluded him of late, and he cursed the fact that Tony still had his belongings with his gun. He picked up a stick and went into a crouch, but then he saw a face and his mouth dropped.

Gibbs walked into the camp, wearing a fisherman's hat and vest, and carrying a pole and a string of trout. "Hey Tim."

McGee dropped the stick and straightened up. "What in God's name? How…? I don't understand."

Gibbs laid the fish on a table that Tim had set up. "It was Tony's idea. They're not coming back tonight. Today's Friday. We won't see them again until Sunday."

"Why?"

"We need some time, you and I, to talk."

Color rose in McGee's face. "So, my friends trap me on a mountain with the man who broke my heart? What the hell!"

"It makes sense that you're angry."

"Really? As usual, Gibbs, you get exactly what you want and I have to just put up with it."

"It's important that we talk."

He shook his head. "You had your chance. I needed you and you left, and I've had to deal with this all on my own. I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to have anything to do with you!"

"Tim!"

"Go to hell, Gibbs!" McGee took off up the trail. Gibbs sighed. McGee was right. It was wrong to trap him, but he worried that he would lose him if they didn't talk soon. Gibbs picked up the fish and set to cleaning them.

….

It was an hour later and pitch dark before McGee reappeared. The fire was blazing, and Gibbs had fillets waiting for the fry pan. He looked up. "I'm glad you're back. It's too dark for you to be out there alone. I'm worried about the cliffs and snakes and bears. Thought I was going to have to go after you."

McGee said nothing. He reluctantly took a spot across from Gibbs at the fire.

Gibbs had seasoned the fish, and he dropped the fillets into the pan. "I hope you don't mind that I went through your foodstuffs. I put together a little salad. I thought it would be nice with the fish."

McGee drew his knees up to his chest and stared into the fire.

Gibbs fried them lightly, seasoned them, and put them on plates with salad. He grabbed a bottled water and a plate and handed it to McGee. Tim took it and set it down beside him. "I'm ready for the speech. Explain to me how you and I are going back to the way things were."

Gibbs took his plate and sat on a log. "There's no going back, Tim. We can only move forward."

"And what does that look like to you."

Gibbs stared at him across the fire. "I need you. I love you, and I want us to have a life together."

Tim blinked. "I wasn't expecting that."

"Well, I got an education, and some very good friends taught me not to fear the future so much."

"How long will it last before your fears take over again?"

Gibbs looked down at his plate. "I feel very committed. Haven't felt this committed since Shannon."

"I don't know, Jethro. Three weeks ago, I would've been all over this, but now I feel too angry. I don't think you understand how hurtful it was for you to leave. I was in a really bad place. Still am."

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

For a long time, McGee stared at the fire. "I don't want to share anything with you right now. I'm just going to go to bed…alone. The other tent is for you."

Without another word, he got up and disappeared into the tent. Gibbs sighed and stared into the fire.

…

"Tony, this is not camping!" Abby's pigtails swung about her face as she pointed to the two enormous tents set on wooden decks and filled with actual bedroom furniture.

"It's camping, Abs. I mean, actually, it's glamping. It's the latest thing."

Ziva frowned. "What is glamping? I don't think that's really a word."

Tony swept the view with his arms. "It's glamour camping. It's all the fun of the outdoors without any of sleeping on the ground business. Look, Chester over there is grilling some lovely steaks for us, and we have wine and a beautiful table with candles. This is my kind of camping."

Abby folded her arms. "I wanted to sleep in a sleeping bag."

"Well, I am sure we can arrange that, Abs." Tony brightened when he saw a man walking toward them with fishing poles and tackle. "Look! Ducky made it. Hey Duck!"

…

Gibbs woke the next morning with a stiff neck and back. He'd stayed up late last night waiting at the fire, hoping that Tim would come out of his tent and want to talk. Groaning, he crawled outside, and squinted into the morning sun. He found an old tin coffee pot sitting on some smoldering embers, and he smiled as he poured a cup. For McGee, kindness was just instinctual. On the small table set up for cooking, he found a note, "I'm gone hiking. Please don't follow!"

Gibbs sighed and settled in with his coffee. He had no desire to go fishing again. His only plan was to wait until McGee was ready to talk to him.

…..

A noise startled Tony awake and he picked the ball cap off his face, and watched as Abby, Ziva, and Ducky climbed out of a motorboat at the dock. Ducky held a string full of freshly caught fish. The wind carried the voices his direction, and he heard Abby's strident pleas to return the fish to their families. Ziva and Ducky were gently trying to explain how she already eats fish in her everyday life, and how it was important to understand where your food comes from when Abby made a desperate grab for the string of fish. Ziva's Mossad training kicked in, and she tackled Abby before she could wrestle it away from Ducky. The two women rolled around the dock until they fell off with a giant splash into the blue mountain lake.

Ducky stopped and watched as they splashed around, trading expletives with one another. Once he ascertained that they were both fine, he shrugged and continued his journey up to the campsite kitchen.

Tony cocked his head until the yelling morphed into laughter, and Abby and Ziva started splashing each other playfully. Then he smiled, lie back on the hammock, and put the cap over his face again.

…..

Jethro Gibbs opened his eyes and saw Tim standing over him. He shook his head, dislodging the book sitting on his chest, and sat up in the camp chair. Cursing, he reached over, and dusted off the book he retrieved from the dirt.

McGee shrugged. "What now?"

"It's my turn to listen. I need to hear everything you have to say."

McGee nodded. "There's an outlook about half a mile up this trail. Beautiful view of the valley."

"Let's go."

Gibbs followed silently as McGee led him up a winding dirt trail. McGee was sure-footed and confident, and it struck Gibbs how comfortable he seemed in the forest. Finally, McGee stopped them at a spot where the brush opened onto a rock ledge. The view was spectacular. Gibbs breathed in deeply as he took in the bright blue sky and the ripening forest of springtime. A bald eagle swooped in and screeched a greeting as it headed for the top of a tall pine. Gibbs smiled. "Beautiful spot, Tim."

McGee sat down on the rock and wrapped his arms around his knees, and Gibbs eased himself down a few feet away. He didn't prompt McGee. Instead, he just sat and waited.

After a while Tim turned to him. "I still dream about him at night. I wake up too many times. Mostly, I dream that we never caught him and that more people had to die. Sometimes, I dream about you too. In those dreams, I'm always trying to find you, but you're never there. The psychiatrist said that these are normal stress reactions and they should fade with time. I don't tell him about the dreams involving you. They're so sad. I always feel like I have to say good-bye not only to you but to the whole team. It just feels like working together is no longer an option."

"I'm sorry."

Tim closed his eyes. "I feel very alone. If we can't work together anymore, I lose everything. I lose an entire family of people I love very much."

"I won't let that happen, Tim. I promise."

"I don't understand what you mean when you say that we can make this work. All I've heard from you since this started is about how impossible this is. How can you suddenly turn that around?"

He nodded. "Can I tell you about where I went and what happened there?"

Gibbs was not known to be a talker, but he took his time with this. He wanted McGee to understand about Joe and Lalit and why he'd gone. He talked about how they were a couple and about the amazing house and the kids at the community center. He talked about the long evenings staring out on the water, battling with himself over his feelings. And he talked about the morning that Lalit told him about Joe and his cancer. He told Tim how Lalit helped him realize that the love they shared was too precious to be discarded.

Gibbs looked out on the lush valley for a few moments before adding, "The idea that Lalit is losing Joe scares me. I realized that I can't lose you. I really love you, Tim, and it's my sincere hope that you and I can go visit Joe and Lalit. I want you to know Joe before he's gone."

McGee watched him in silence. Then he drew in a ragged breath. "All I've had to eat today is a few handfuls of trail mix. Maybe, we should go back and see what there is for dinner."

Gibbs nodded. This time, he led the way down the path. They were about halfway there when he felt fingers on his back. He turned around to find McGee's face was wet with tears. "Hey Tim?"

McGee brought a shaky hand up to Gibbs' face. "Kiss me, Jethro. Show me that you meant everything you said up there."

Gibbs cupped McGee's face with his hands and walked him backwards until he was leaning against a tree. Then he gently captured McGee's mouth; slow at first and then building in intensity. McGee moaned and pulled Gibbs in to him, grinding their hips together. Gibbs pulled away and smiled into his eyes. "We have plenty of time for all that, Lover. Right now, we have to get some food in you. Then we can start making up for lost time."

Not to be denied, McGee pulled him in for another passionate kiss.

…..

They lounged on chairs staring up at the starry night sky, each of them nursing two fingers of Ducky's best single malt scotch. Abby broke their reverie, "I hope they started talking to one another."

Tony took a long draw off the scotch. "Hell, I hope they're done talking and onto more aerobic endeavors."

"Tony! We shouldn't speculate on their…uh, lovemaking."

"Why not, Ducky? If he was with a girl, I'd go there."

Ziva winced. "Yeah, but it's Gibbs. It's sort of like thinking of your dad in bed."

Abby wrinkled her nose. "Ew! That is gross. McGee might be having sex with our dad."

"Oh, please! They're in love. It might seem unusual or unexpected to us, but it's actually quite sweet. They both deserve it so very, very much."

Ziva smiled. "Cheers to that, Ducky."

They all raised their glasses. "Cheers."

….

Gibbs took Tim's plate and stacked it in the cooler, locking it. "It's too dark to go down to the stream and wash these tonight."

Tim took his offered hand and got up, wrapping his arms around Gibbs. For a moment, they just held each other, and focused on their breathing and beating hearts. Gibbs nuzzled his neck. "Why don't you go in the tent and wait for me. I'll douse the fire."

McGee grabbed a lantern, and crawled into the tent. He hooked it at the center inside, and it gave the space an eerie glow. He opened up the sleeping bags, and placed one atop the other. And then he stripped down to his boxers. He felt dizzy with passion and his heart pounded double time as he waited for Gibbs to join him.

McGee turned on his side, absently rubbing a nipple, when Gibbs climbed in beside him. He watched with bright eyes as Gibbs pulled off his shirt and jeans. His breath caught when Gibbs peeled off his boxers, revealing an already healthy erection.

Gently, Gibbs pushed him on his back and straddled him. "We have all night, Tim. And then we have tomorrow night and the night after. As far as I'm concerned, you're mine forever."

McGee gave him a shaky smile. "It's hard to believe this is real."

Gibbs stroked his cheek. "I know. I haven't felt anything like this since the night I knew that Shannon was the one."

Tim swallowed. "I know we have all night, but I want you to start by claiming me. I never felt closer to you than when you were inside me."

Gibbs studied him as if trying to capture a moment in time. Then he climbed off McGee, hooked his fingers in the waistband of Tim's boxers and slowly pulled them down his legs. McGee threw his head back and moaned the sensation. Then he eagerly opened his legs for Gibbs' insistent hands.

….

Whenever they were in close proximity to one another, Gibbs couldn't keep his hands off McGee. It made taking down the tents and packing up the supplies a rather arduous process. It was only the thought of Abby showing up, climbing in the tent, and jumping in between their naked bodies that got them out of bed at all that morning.

Finally, they had the tents rolled up, the sleeping bags secured, and the supplies packed. Gibbs came up behind McGee and slid his arms around his waist. McGee leaned back sighing, and they gently rocked back and forth.

McGee nodded at the dust rising up in the distance. "They'll be here in a few minutes."

Gibbs chuckled. "I sort of feel like those newlyweds you see on a National Geographic special where the whole village shows up the next morning to examine the marital sheets."

McGee snorted. "I wouldn't put it past this crew."

Gibbs bit his neck lightly. "I can't wait to get you home."

"Is this a honeymoon then?"

"Only the first of many, my love."

The truck stopped, and everyone piled out. Tony had his arm around Ziva and Ducky gave the two men a wink and a thumbs up. Then Abby sailed at them like a car without brakes, and both men braced for impact.

…..

The End


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